f 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


TWIXT    SIRDAR  &  MENELIK 


'TWIXT 
SIRDAR    &    MENELIK 

AN  ACCOUNT  OF  A    YEAR'S  EXPEDITION 

FROM   ZEILA    TO   CAIRO    THROUGH 

UNKNOWN  ABYSSINIA 


BY   THE   LATE 

CAPTAIN   M.   S.   WELLBY 

HUSSARS 


ILLUSTRATED 


NEW   YORK   AND    LONDON 

HARPER   &   BROTHERS   PUBLISHERS 

1901 


377 


HIS   MAJESTY  THE   EMPEROR 

MENELIK    II. 

G.C.M.G.  &c.  &c. 

KING  OF   KINGS  OF  ETHIOPIA 


1003754 


CAPTAIN   M.    S.    WELLBY. 


PREFACE 

IN  venturing  to  publish  an  account  of  my  recent 
travels  in  Abyssinia,  in  the  countries  beyond,  and 
between  the  Egyptian  provinces  and  King  Menelik's 
domains,  I  no  more  assume  to  pose  as  an  authority 
on  Abyssinia  and  on  the  Abyssinian  people  than  I 
do  on  wireless  telegraphy  or  the  microbes  of 
tropical  diseases.  Had  my  sojourn  of  months 
been  one  of  years,  then  such  a  claim  might  rest 
on  more  substantial  grounds.  As  it  is,  I  have 
merely  written  a  brief  and  simple  description  of 
my  experiences  in  and  beyond  Abyssinia,  and  at 
times  have  ventured  to  offer  an  opinion ;  and,  if 
occasionally  I  may  be  thought  egotistical,  I  ask 
forgiveness  on  the  score  of  my  solitary  position 
during  the  journey. 

Those  who  take  an  interest  in  Abyssinian  affairs, 
and  who  deem  these  pages  worthy  of  perusal,  will 
notice  that  in  almost  every  point  I  differ  from 
probably  every  other  writer,  or,  perhaps  I  should 
say,  more  experienced  writers  touching  on  the 
same  subject.  It  is  for  this  very  reason  that  I 

xi  b 


Preface 

hasten  to  speak  of  the  Abyssinian  character,  dealing, 
so  far  as  my  short  experience  permits  me,  with  their 
virtues  and  their  redeeming  points.  I  should  state, 
however,  that  I  entered  the  country  thoroughly 
prejudiced  against  the  Abyssinians — having  been 
influenced  by  the  writings  and  sayings  of  others. 
Those  patient  readers  who  wade  through  the 
pages  of  this  volume,  will  very  likely,  in  the  end, 
exclaim  that,  in  any  case,  I  am  but  a  poor  champion 
of  the  people  and  country  I  profess  to  uphold  ; 
but  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  I  have 
endeavoured  to  describe  their  faults  as  well  as 
their  virtues.  In  doing  so,  I  firmly  maintain  that 
the  majority  of  their  failings  are  entirely  due  to 
ignorance,  and  to  the  result  of  their  having  existed 
for  so  long  in  an  independent  state  ;  and  my  belief 
is  that  as  soon  as  their  minds  are  enlightened  by 
more  direct  dealings  and  closer  intercourse  with 
European  nations,  many  of  their  failings  will 
disappear,  and  the  more  desirable  traits  in  their 
character  will  shine  forth  and  increase. 

As  I  have  endeavoured  to  publish  these  pages 
with  the  least  possible  delay  after  returning  to 
civilization,  I  have  been  compelled  to  write  them 
at  odd  hours  or  half-hours,  and  I,  therefore,  trust 
the  reader  will  remember  that  he  is  about  to  rush 
through  a  production  of  no  literary  weight  what- 
ever, but  merely  a  recital  of  facts  strung  simply 

xii 


Preface 

together,  dealing  with  the  people  and  country  I 
have  seen  and  the  experiences  I  have  undergone. 
That  I  should  have  been  able  to  travel  in  and 
beyond  Abyssinia,  receiving  the  utmost  help  and 
most  genuine  hospitality  from  every  Abyssinian 
I  came  across,  is  solely  due  to  the  friendliness  of 
H.I.M.  King  Menelik  and  Monsieur  Ilg,  Conseiller 
d\!tat,  and  their  readiness  to  aid  me  in  every  way 
to  carry  out  my  plans  ;  and  also  to  the  generous 
assistance  accorded  me  at  all  times  by  Captain  [now 
Lieut.-Col.]  Harrington,  H.B.M.'s  agent. 

The  maps  that  accompany  this  volume  are  mainly 
the  result  of  the  untiring  perseverance  of  Duffadar 
Shahzad  Mir,  iith  Bengal  Lancers,  whose  great 
aim  was  to  portray  accurately  the  country  we 
traversed,  and  whose  faithful  services  rendered  to 
me  throughout  the  journey  I  shall  always  re- 
member. 

A  few  extracts  from  my  letters  to  the  Times, 
entitled,  "  A  Journey  in  Abyssinia,"  have  been 
reproduced  in  this  volume  by  kind  permission. 

MONTAGU    SINCLAIR   WELLBY. 


X1U 


INTRODUCTION 

CAPTAIN  MONTAGU  SINCLAIR  WELLBY,  the  writer 
of  this  book,  was  killed  in  South  Africa  in  the 
performance  of  his  duty  as  a  soldier  to  his  country, 
and  hence  it  comes  that  at  a  time  when  I  had 
hoped  to  have  had  his  aid  in  my  official  work  in 
Abyssinia,  where  it  had  been  arranged  he  should 
join  me  as  my  assistant  at  the  close  of  the  war, 
and  where  the  experience  and  high  qualities 
evidenced  by  this  book  would  have  been  of  the 
utmost  value,  I  find  that  I  have,  instead  of  the 
anticipated  pleasure  of  welcoming  him  as  a  fellow- 
worker,  the  sorrowful  task  of  writing  this  short 
notice  of  a  dear  friend. 

A  very  brief  outline  of  his  life  and  work  will, 
coupled  with  the  record  of  his  solid  achievement 
contained  in  this  book  he  has  left,  suffice  to  show 
that  his  too  brief  career  gave  promise  to  his 
country  of  much  which  death  has  left  unfulfilled. 

Born  in  1866,  Captain  Wellby  was  educated  at 
Rugby.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he  passed  into  the 
Army  from  Sandhurst,  being  gazetted  lieutenant 

XV 


Introduction 

in  the  iSth  Hussars.  In  1894,  he  became  captain, 
and  in  that  year  commenced  the  work  of  exploration 
in  Africa  by  which  he  afterwards  became  principally 
known.  In  this  first  journey  to  Africa,  he  explored 
and  mapped  out  much  of  the  then  untrodden 
ground  of  Somaliland.  In  1895,  he  continued  his 
work  by  a  second  expedition  to  Somaliland,  survey- 
ing as  far  as  the  Dolbahanta  country.  The 
following  year,  he,  in  company  with  Lieutenant 
Malcolm,  of  the  23rd  Argyll  and  Sutherland 
Highlanders,  made  an  expedition  to  Central  Asia, 
passing  from  Cashmere  through  Northern  Thibet, 
Mongolia  and  China,  to  Pekin.  He  has  left  a 
record  of  this  journey  in  his  book,  "  Through 
Unknown  Thibet,"  which  forms  his  first  permanent 
contribution  to  geographical  science,  and  to  the 
inspiring  literature  of  knowledge  gained  through 
hardship  and  endurance. 

On  his  return  to  India,  he  rejoined  his  regiment, 
and  in  the  following  year  took  part  in  the  Tirah 
campaign,  where,  as  transport-officer  in  the  Tochi 
Valley,  he  did  valuable  work.  In  August,  1898, 
he  came  to  Abyssinia,  joining  me  at  Harrar. 
He  accompanied  me  on  my  journey  to  Adis 
Ababa. 

His  qualities  were  such  that  he  obtained  the  full 
regard  and  friendship,  not  only  of  all  the  Europeans 
whom  he  met  in  Abyssinia,  but  also  of  the  Emperor 

xvi 


Introduction 

Menelik.  Through  the  kindness  of  the  latter,  he 
obtained  leave  to  travel  through  every  part  of  his 
dominions,  and  on  the  i8th  December,  1898,  he 
started,  without  any  white  companion,  on  the 
journey  of  exploration  described  in  this  book, 
through  unknown  parts  of  Abyssinia  and  through 
"  the  devil-infested  country  of  Walamo,"  to  Lake 
Rudolf,  whence  he  passed  on  to  the  Sobat,  at 
Fort  Nasser  coming  in  touch  with  the  Anglo- 
Egyptian  forces  after  a  hazardous  journey  of  seven 
months. 

In  all  his  travels  through  Africa,  of  which  I  can 
speak  to  some  extent  from  personal  knowledge, 
his  unfailing  tact,  his  cheerfulness,  resource  in 
dangers  and  hardships,  and  the  winning  qualities 
which  endeared  him  to  all  who  ever  knew  him,  won 
him  the  confidence  and  affection  of  the  natives 
with  whom  he  came  in  contact.  I  have  seldom, 
indeed,  known  any  one  better  fitted  to  deal  with 
natives.  He  came  to  Abyssinia  when,  owing  to 
the  disasters  of  Italy  in  the  Abyssinian  War,  the 
prestige  of  Europeans  was  at  a  low  ebb  indeed ;  so 
low  that  even  Europeans  in  official  positions  were 
not  absolutely  secure  from  insult.  It  was  typical 
of  his  character  and  disposition  that  he,  of  all  the 
Europeans  who  were  in  a  camp  of  over  50,000 
Abyssinians,  many  of  whom  had  never  seen  a 
white  man,  wandered  freely  about  unaccompanied 


Introduction 

by  any  attendant,  without  any  disagreeable  incidents 
ever  happening  to  him. 

One  incident  on  his  last  journey  I  must  mention, 
as  a  proof — if  proof,  indeed,  were  needed — of  his 
courage  and  endurance.  Near  Lake  Rudolf,  in 
opening  a  tin  of  preserved  provisions,  he  cut  the 
fore  finger  of  his  left  hand ;  blood  poisoning  set  in, 
so  that  he  subsequently  lost  it.  No  medical  aid 
was  nearer  than  Khartoum,  yet  he  marched  miles  in 
intense  agony,  holding  a  mortifying  finger  upright 
during  the  whole  of  the  long  and  miserable  march, 
concealing  his  pain,  so  that  his  followers  should  not 
lose  heart. 

His  journey  along  from  Adis  Ababa  to  the  Nile, 
with  so  small  a  following,  the  bulk  of  whom  were 
Abyssinians  who  detest  the  unknown,  deserves,  in 
my  opinion,  to  rank  as  one  of  the  finest  in  African 
exploration. 

He  returned  to  England  in  1899,  and  shortly 
afterwards,  war  being  imminent,  rejoined  his 
regiment  in  South  Africa.  He  arrived  at  Lady- 
smith  just  before  the  investment,  and  went  through 
the  long-drawn-out  suspense  and  suffering  of 
that  siege  so  recent  in  our  memories,  to  its  ultimate 
relief  in  March  last.  On  the  3Oth  of  July,  in  a 
reconnaissance  at  Mertzicht,  he,  with  his  small 
force,  was  taken  at  a  disadvantage  by  the  enemy  ; 
he  told  his  men  to  save  themselves,  and,  the  last 

xviii 


Introduction 

man  to  leave  the  ground,  was  himself  surrounded, 
called  on  to  surrender,  could  have  saved  himself 
by  surrender,  and  would  probably  have  been 
justified  in  doing  so ;  but  he  chose  the  nobler 
part,  drew  his  sword,  refused  to  yield,  and  was 
immediately  shot,  receiving  wounds  from  which  he 
died  at  Paardekop,  on  the  5th  of  August,  1900. 

So  long  as  England  has  sons  prepared  to  die  as 
he  died,  she  may  look  confidently  to  the  future. 
His  best  friends  would  not  have  had  him  do 
otherwise  than  as  he  did.  Yet  it  is  permissible 
to  regret  that  a  brilliant  career  should  have  been 
thus  cut  short  with  its  bright  promise  but  partly 
fulfilled. 

J.   L.   HARRINGTON. 

SEPTEMBER  28TH,  1900. 


xix 


TABLE    OF   CONTENTS 

PAGE 

PREFACE xi 

INTRODUCTION  i;v  LIKUT.-COL.  HARRINGTON xv 

CH AFTER 

I.    FROM  INDIA  TO  AFRICA i 

II.    A  REAL  BEGINNING 12 

III.  THE  ARRIVAL  AT  HARRAR 23 

IV.  LIFE  AT  HARRAR 34 

V.  THE  ABYSSINIAN  SOLDIER 44 

VI.    OUR  JOURNEY  TO  THE  CAPITAL 49 

VII.    WE  REACH  ADIS  ABABA 59 

VIII.    AT  THE  COURT  OF  THE  NEGUS 65 

IX.    WITH  THE  ABYSSINIAN  ARMY    _ 84 

X.    LAST  DAYS  AT  THE  CAPITAL 95 

XI.    FROM  ADIS  ABABA  TOWARDS  THE  UNKNOWN  .    .  106 

XII.    FROM  ZAQUALA  TO  LAKE  LAMINA 117 

XIII.  LAMINA  TO  WALAMO 129 

XIV.  WALAMO  TO  TENCH  A 140 

XV.    TRAVELLING  TOWARDS  THE  UNKNOWN  ....  154 

XVI.     IN  UNKNOWN  ABYSSINIA 164 

XVII.    DISPUTES  WITH  THE  ABYSSINIAN  ESCORT   .     .    .  174 

XVIII.    ADVENTURES  ROUND  LAKE  RUDOLF 186 

XIX.    EXPERIENCES  WITH  THE  LAKE  TRIBES  ....  196 

XX.    A  CHAPTER  OF  ACCIDENTS,  WITH  A  HAPPY  ENDING  211 
xxi 


Table  of  Contents 


CHAI'TKR  PAGE 

XXI.    AMONG  THE  RENDILE 224 

XXII.    GIANT  TRIBES 235 

XXIII.    ADVENTURES  WITH  THE  TRIBES 247 

XXIV.    AMONG  THE  TURKANAS 262 

XXV.    ANXIOUS  TIMES  WITH  THE  ABBAS 278 

XXVI.    A  RACE  FOR  WATER 297 

XXVII.  DROUGHT,  BUT  RUNNING  WATER  AT  LAST     .     .  315 

XXVIII.  ABYSSINIAN  RAIDS — THEIR  RESULTS  AND  CURE  .  329 

XXIX.  FROM  THE  BOMA  TO  THE  SHILLUK  COUNTRY  .    .  336 

XXX.  APPROACHING  THE  SIRDAR'S  DOMAINS  ....  353 

XXXI.    WITH  THE  SIRDAR 369 

EPILOGUE 404 

A  LIMITED  VOCABULARY  OF  DIFFERENT  TRIBES  .  407 


xxn 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 


I'AGK 


THE  EMPEROR  MENELIK  II Frontispiece 

CAPTAIN  M.  S.  WELLBY To  face  Preface 

KING  MENELIK'S  LETTER  ACCEPTING  THE  DEDICATION  OF 

CAPTAIN  WELLBY'S  BOOK  (Facsimile) 4,  5 

THE  BRITISH  RESIDENCY  AT  ZEILA 8 

HAIR-DRESSING  IN  THE  BRITISH  AGENT'S  CAMP     ....  10 

MOHAMED  HASSAN,  MY  SOMALI  BOY 15 

HARRAR  (FROM  THE  WEST)  .     .     .     . 25 

CAPTAIN  HARRINGTON  AND  HIS  ESCORT 28 

RAS  MAKONNEN'S  CAMP  AT  SHOLA 30 

CAPTAIN  HARRINGTON  EN  ROUTE  TO  THE  CAPITAL     ...  32 

M.   LAGARDE'S  ARRIVAL  AT   RAS  MAKONNEN'S  PALACE  AT 

HARRAR 37 

RAS    MAKONNEN'S    SOLDIERS   WAITING    OUTSIDE   CAPTAIN 

HARRINGTON'S  TENT 42 

MY  ABYSSINIANS   DRAWN   UP  TO  RECEIVE  AN    ABYSSINIAN 

GENERAL 46 

RESIDENCE  OF  M.  LAGARDE 51 

M.  LAGARDE  AND  HIS  DOOLIES  CROSSING  THE  BRIDGE  OVER 

THE  HAWASH  RIVER 54 

VILLAGERS  BRINGING  SUPPLIES 60 

RUSSIAN  RESIDENCE  AT  ADIS  ABABA,  SHOWING  M.  LAGARDE 

AND  M.  AND  MME.  VLASSOF 67 

KING  MENELIK'S  PALACE 68 

AT  ADIS  ABABA:  ST.  GEORGE'S  CHURCH 71 


List  of  Illustrations 


i'AGE 


ABYSSINIANS  EATING  RAW  MEAT 75 

WITH  MENELIK'S  ARMY.    FIRING  A  SALUTE  IN  HONOUR  OF 

THE  QUEEN'S  MESSAGE  DELIVERED  FROM  A  PHONOGRAPH  77 

DIAGRAMS  SHOWING  DISPOSITIONS  OF  MENELIK'S  ARMY  ON 

THE  MARCH 81 

QUEEN  TAITU  OF  ABYSSINIA  AND  HER  GUARD  AND 

FOLLOWERS 85 

MARKET-DAY,  ADIS  ABABA 91 

HORSE-MARKET,  ADIS  ABABA 93 

M.   VLASSOF    (THE    RUSSIAN    REPRESENTATIVE)    AND    HIS 

ESCORT ioi 

DlNKA   MEN   FISHING 122 

RHINOCEROS  BIRDS 133 

MARKET-DAY  AT  WALAMO 142 

HOUSE  AT  WALAMO— DEVIL-INFESTED  REGION 143 

PAYING  WALAMO  NATIVES  FOR  SUPPLIES 148 

WALAMO  VALLEY,  NORTH  OF  DAMOTA  HILL 155 

MY  CAMP  IN  GAMO 161 

MY  CARAVAN  DESCENDING  A  HILL  IN  GAMO 167 

MOUNTAINS  SURROUNDING  LAKE  ABAI 181 

VIEW    ACROSS    LAKE    GALLOP,   SOMETIMES   CALLED    LAKE 

RUDOLF 187 

NATIVES  FROM  LAKE  GALLOP 193 

THE  SHORE  OF  LAKE  RUDOLF 203 

LIFTING  A  CAMEL  INTO  THE  RIVER 213 

CAMELS  BEING  PULLED  ACROSS  A  RIVER 220 

SHAHZAD  MIR 226 

REMARKABLE  ACCUMULATION  OF  CAMEL  BONES  AT  LAKE 

RUDOLF 232 

A  DIFFICULT  CROSSING 237 

A  HOUSE  IN  GAMO 244 

A  TURKANA  GIANT 249 

xxiv 


List  of  Illustrations 


I'AGE 


CAMELS  CROSSING  A  RIVER   ............  260 

THE  LOKA  TRIBE     ...............  276 

MULES  CROSSING  A  SHALLOW  RIVER  .........  283 

MULES  CROSSING  A  DEEP  RIVER   ..........  290 

MADAME  VLASSOF'S  COSSACK  ORDERLY  ........  302 

SHEIKH  MUNYAN  AND  SHILLUKS  ..........  348 

NATIVE  BOATS  ON  THE  LOWER  NILE     ........  371 

SHEIKH  DUGL'S  CAMP  ON  THE  NILE  .........  3*73 

BRINGING  IN  WOOD  BY  BOAT   ...........  375 

THE  VILLAGE  OF  NYURO  .............  378 

OUR  NATIVE  BOAT  ON  THE  SOBAT    .........  382 

A  SOUDANESE  REGIMENT  .............  385 

THE  NILE    ..................  386 

THE  BRITISH  RESIDENT'S  HOUSE  AT  ATBARA     .....  389 

H.H.S.  FATEH  WITH  CAPTAIN  ESCOMB,  R.N.,  ON  BOARD  .  392 

FASHODA  FORT     ................  394 

THE  PALACE  AT  KHARTUM  IN  PROGRESS  OF  BUILDING  .    .  396 

THE  SIRDAR'S  HOUSE,  OMDURMAN     .........  398 

FORT  SOBAT     .................  399 

THE  FAREWELL  TO  OMDURMAN     ..........  401 


XXV 


TWIXT    SIRDAR   AND    MENELIK 


CHAPTER    I 

FROM    INDIA    TO    AFRICA 

Introduction — Reasons  for  the  expedition — My  opportunity — I  am 
granted  leave  to  travel — My  companions — The  start — Steamship 
Melbourne — Arrival  at  Aden  — Departure  for  Zeila — Reception 
by  the  authorities  at  Zeila — Meeting  with  Captain  Harrington — 
Start  into  the  interior — Supper  in  the  desert — A  discouraging 
outlook — We  return  to  Zeila. 

WHILST  the  Sirdar  was  preparing  to  deliver  his 
stupendous  blow  at  the  Dervish  power,  I  at  the 
same  time  had  often  pondered  in  my  mind  over 
the  possibility  of  appearing-  with  a  handful  of  men 
at  the  south  of  Khartum,  simultaneously  with  the 
arrival  of  our  troops  from  the  north.  Such  an 
idea  struck  me  as  quite  feasible,  but  the  preliminary 
steps  of  obtaining  permission  from  my  Government 
to  travel,  and  leave  of  absence  from  my  regiment, 

i  B 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

were  insuperable  difficulties.  The  suggestion  of 
finding  a  route  either  through  or  round  Abyssinia 
to  districts  lying  south  of  Khartum  was  declared  as 
one  contrary  to  all  treaties  and  against  the  wishes 
of  King  Menelik,  and  a  year's  leave  from  regimental 
duty  was  a  question  that  one  dared  scarcely  whisper. 
So  it  happened  that  the  Sirdar,  who  waited  for  no 
man  when  the  time  to  strike  had  come,  advanced 
and  smashed  for  evermore  that  barbarous  power 
he  had  so  carefully  determined  to  crush,  and  to- 
gether with  the  fall  of  Khartum,  my  castles  in  the 
air  were  likewise  considerably  shattered. 

Nevertheless,  it  was  evident  to  me  that  there 
were  large  stretches  of  country,  very  imperfectly 
known,  lying  east  of  the  Nile  and  north  of  our 
Uganda  protectorate,  -extending  as  far  as  Abyssinia 
and  the  country  claimed  as  its  dependencies  ;  and 
that,  without  taking  into  account  our  ignorance  of 
Abyssinia  itself  and  of  its  people,  knowledge  of  this 
no-man's-land  should  be  acquired  by  us,  for  the 
sooner  we  learnt  the  value  of  these  regions  and 
the  condition  of  their  inhabitants,  the  more  advan- 
tageous it  would  be  for  us  and  for  them. 

I  knew  that  certain  expeditions  (notably  Major 
Macdonald's,  Major  Gibbons's,  and  Major  Martyr's) 
were  about  this  time  working  up  from  the  south, 
and  that  in  all  probability  others  would  find  their 
way  to  Abyssinia  from  the  west,  either  in  pursuit  of 
the  routed  Dervish  remnants  or  bent  on  explora- 
tion. Furthermore,  it  struck  me  as  being  quite 
unaccountable  that  whereas  certain  French,  Russian, 
and  Italian  explorers  had  travelled  in  Abyssinia 


Reasons  for  my  Expedition 

with  more  or  less  sanction  from  King  Menelik,  no 
Englishman  had  so  far  been  granted  the  same 
privileges.  It  also  appeared  to  me  as  clear  as 
daylight  that  when  the  Dervish  host  should  have 
been  destroyed  and  Khartum  have  fallen,  King 
Menelik  would  be  forced  by  mere  circumstance 
to  lend  a  readier  ear  to  our  wishes,  and  would 
also  see  the  wisdom  of  winning  our  perpetual 
friendship. 

It  would  be  inappropriate  here  to  enter  into 
lengthy  arguments  with  regard  to  our  own  policy  in 
Abyssinia,  and  that  of  other  countries  towards  it. 
Suffice  it  to  say  that,  for  reasons  unknown  to  me,  our 
dealings  with  Abyssinia  for  the  last  thirty  years  (that 
is  to  say,  since  the  successful  expedition  undertaken 
by  Lord  Napier  of  Magdala)  had  been  at  a  stand- 
still, whereas  other  Powers  had  taken  the  lead  from 
us,  and  were  gradually  and  quietly  ingratiating 
themselves  into  the  confidence  of  the  Negus,  and  at 
the  same  time  gaining  a  footing  in  the  land.  What- 
ever their  objects  and  aims  were,  and  what  the 
results  of  their  policy  have  been,  are  matters  too 
lengthy  to  discuss,  and  are  perhaps  out  of  place  here. 
I  will  therefore  endeavour  at  once  to  tell  of  my  own 
dealings  with  the  Abyssinians,  and  of  my  experiences 
in  regions  beyond  King  Menelik's  domain. 

In  August,  1898,  my  regiment  being  quartered 
at  Lucknow,  I  ran  up  to  Simla  for  a  ten  days' 
visit  and  cooling,  and  during  that  time  a  telegram 
from  England  was  placed  in  my  hands.  It  came 
from  the  Intelligence  Division  of  the  War  Office, 
informing  me  that  Captain  Harrington,  H.B.M.'s 

3 


V?   : 


-.  <D  Aft 


:  n 


(SEE  OPPOSITE  PAGE.) 
4 


King   Menelik's   Letter 

Free  translation,  by  Captain  (now  Lieut- 
Colonel)  Harrington,  of  King  Menelik's  letter 
(on  opposite  page)  accepting  the  dedication  of 
Captain  Wellby's  book  :  — 


The  lion  has  prevailed  from  the  tribe  of 
Judah.  Menelik  II.,  the  Elect  of  God,  King 
of  Kings  of  Ethiopia,  to  Captain  Harrington, 
salutation — 

We  received  your  letter  of  the  2Oth  of 
September,  and  were  glad  to  learn  that 
Captain  Wellby  desired  to  dedicate  to  us 
the  book  describing  his  journey,  arid  are 
pleased  to  accept  the  dedication. 

We  are  especially  glad  to  hear  Captain 
Wellby  had  reached  his  country  in  safety. 
We  desire  you  to  offer  Captain  Wellby  the 
assurance  of  the  friendly  feelings  we  entertain 
towards  him. 

May  God  permit  us  to  meet  again  in  this 
world. 

WRITTEN  AT  ADIS  AI:ABA, 
The  yd  of  November,  1899. 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

Agent  in  Abyssinia,  was  about  to  return  to  that 
country,  and  was  willing  to  take  me  with  him  if  I 
cared  to  go.  One  point  was  quite  certain — that  the 
only  way  of  getting  into  Abyssinia  had  been  laid  open 
to  me,  and  I  wired  an  answer  of  acceptance.  I  have 
always  felt  grateful  for  the  kind  interest  taken  and 
advice  given  me  in  the  matter  by  Major-General 
Sir  E.  Collen,  K.C.I.E.,  and  Colonel  More  Moly- 
neux,  at  that  time  head  of  the  Intelligence  Branch, 
Quartermaster-General's  Department.  My  next 
step — having  accepted  the  offer — was  to  obtain  a 
year's  leave ;  and  on  my  intentions  being  known, 
my  commanding  officer  expressed  his  recommenda- 
tion, which  was  strongly  favoured  by  Major- 
General  Jemings,  C.B.,  commanding  at  Lucknow, 
and  finally  readily  granted  by  Sir  Baker  Russell, 
commanding  at  Bengal.  It  was  already  the 
2 2nd  of  August,  1898,  so  that  little  time  re- 
mained to  make  my  preparations,  for  Captain 
Harrington  would  be  at  Zeila  on  the  Somali  coast 
on  the  yth  of  September,  and  it  was  essential  that  I 
should  meet  him  at  that  spot.  On  this  same  day 
Lieutenant  Vincent,  Royal  Horse  Artillery,  asked 
if  he  might  accompany  me,  and  I  readily  accepted 
the  addition  of  a  worthy  companion.  I  also  took 
with  me  two  native  surveyors,  Duffadar  Shahzad 
Mir,  nth  Bengal  Lancers,  who  had  travelled  with 
me  across  Tibet  and  China,  and  Duffadar  Ramji 
Lai,  4th  Bengal  Cavalry,  also  a  fox-terrier  named 
Lady,  who  had  successfully  undergone  with  me  the 
climatic  trials  of  the  Tochi  campaign. 

On    Sunday,    28th    of  August,    we   all    met  at 

6 


Avoiding  Quarantine 

Bombay,  and  here  it  seemed  that  we  were  likely  to 
suffer  a  severe  check,  for  our  agents,  Thomas  Cook 
and  Son,  declared  that  the  authorities  of  the  steam- 
ship Melbourne,  sailing  on  the  3Oth  inst,  absolutely 
declined  to  book  any  passengers  to  Aden  on 
account  of  the  prevailing  plague,  as  that  entailed 
certain  quarantine  regulations  which  had  to  be 
adhered  to.  But  when  one  man  falls  in  battle 
another  takes  his  place,  and  on  this  occasion  Messrs. 
William  Watson  jumped  into  the  open  gap,  and 
promptly  arranged  with  the  steamship  company  in 
question,  not  only  for  our  own  passages,  but  also 
for  those  of  our  two  surveyors,  our  ammunition,  and 
the  terrier.  Bombay  was  soon  lost  sight  of,  in  my 
case  probably  for  good  and  all,  as  my  regiment  was 
due  to  sail  for  South  Africa  the  following  October. 

There  were  very  few  passengers  on  board.  One 
of  them  was  a  wealthy  pearl  merchant  from  Bombay, 
whose  sole  idea  in  life  was  to  accumulate  money  and 
live  in  luxury.  He  could  not  comprehend  why  of 
our  own  free-will  we  went  off  on  such  an  errand  as  we 
were  attempting,  instead  of  marrying  and  enjoying 
the  sweetness  of  life.  We  had  with  us  certain  books 
to  study  during  the  trip  to  Aden,  but  our  plans  for 
the  five  days'  voyage  were  somewhat  upset,  like  our- 
selves, by  the  monsoonish  weather  that  prevailed 
throughout  the  journey.  On  arrival  at  Aden,  owing 
to  the  kindness  of  Brigadier- General  Creagh,  V.C., 
the  annoyances  of  quarantine  were  dispensed  with. 
Our  two  Duffadars  were  promptly  carted  off  with  all 
the  luggage,  on  board  the  Royal  Indian  Marine  ship 
Elphinstone,  whilst  we  were  taken  on  shore  and 

7 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 


hospitably  entertained  by  the  General  and  Colonel 
Sadler  and  their  wives.  Our  stay  in  Aden  was  of 
short  duration,  sufficient,  however,  to  enable  me  to 
look  up  an  old  Somali  friend  named  Ali,  proprietor 
of  the  Hotel  de  1'Europe,  who  had  helped  me  when 


I 


3£&j     Jfc    m 


BRITISH    RESIDENCY   AT   ZEILA. 


making  previous  trips  into  Somaliland  for  shooting 
and  exploration. 

That  same  evening  we  embarked  on  board  the 
Elphinstone,  and  the  following  morning  at  daybreak 
Zeila's  uninviting  shores  were  before  us.  The  dis- 
comforts of  this  inhospitable  barren  maritime  station 

8 


We   start  for   Harrar 

were  soon  forgotten  on  receiving  a  hearty  welcome 
from  Lieutenant  Harold,  Assistant  Resident,  and 
Lieutenant  Picton  Jones,  R.E.,  who  was  living  there 
for  a  few  weeks  to  carry  out  some  piece  of  engineer- 
ing. Here,  too,  we  were  fortunate  enough  to  meet 
Harrington  himself,  who  had  arrived  only  the 
previous  day. 

Round  and  about  the  bungalow  lay  piles  of 
baggage,  which  Somalis  were  endeavouring  with 
much  clamouring  to  divide  into  loads  for  the  camels 
that  stood  in  groups  close  by.  This  busy  scene 
warned  us  only  too  truthfully  that  H.B.M.'s 
Agent  was  starting  almost  immediately  for  Harrar, 
situated  near  the  borders  of  Abyssinia.  Of  course 
we  talked  over  our  prospects.  Harrington  himself 
could  give  us  very  little  hope  of  our  being  able 
to  travel  beyond  King  Menelik's  capital,  whilst  the 
other  two  officers  ridiculed  the  proposition.  "  I 
suppose,"  said  Harrington,  "  you  are  bringing  your 
dress  clothes  ?  "  remarking  that  when  Prince  Henri 
d'Orleans  came  into  the  presence  of  Menelik  attired 
in  shooting  costume,  the  king  exclaimed,  "  Who  is 
this  person  who  does  not  know  how  to  appear 
before  a  king  ?  " 

Having  decided  to  camp  that  night  with  the 
Agent,  by  sunset  we  were  off,  Harrington  leading 
the  way  perched  aloft  on  one  camel,  the  two 
Duffadars  on  another,  and  Vincent  and  myself  on 
a  third.  There  was  no  moon,  but  the  stars  shone 
clearly,  and  we  found  the  journey  pleasant  and 
peaceful  enough,  after  the  hustle  and  bustle  of  the 
last  few  days,  as  we  silently  moved  along  over  the 

9 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

sandy  monotonous  maritime  plain.  It  gave  us  time 
to  collect  our  thoughts,  and  to  turn  over  in  our 
minds  the /ray  and  cons  of  the  situation. 

The  march  to  Harrington's  first  camp  was  only 
eight  miles  long,  and  on  arrival  there  we  found  a 
host  of  camels,  men,  and  baggage,  and  also  two 


HAIR-DRESSING   IN   THE   BRITISH   AGENT  S   CAMP. 

tables,  with  chairs,  laid  out  for  supper,  which  seemed 
strange  in  the  midst  of  a  desert.  One  of  these 
tables  was  placed  for  the  benefit  of  the  interpreter, 
Mr.  Beru,  an  Abyssinian,  and  the  doctor,  Mr. 
Wakeman,  an  Eurasian.  "Are  you  hungry  ?"  shouted 
Harrison  to  his  two  assistants.  "  Oh,"  replied  the 
Abyssinian,  "  we  are  only  half  hungry ;  we  will 
have  some  potted  meats  and  tea."  Mr.  Beru  was 
the  first  Abyssinian  I  had  ever  seen,  and  my  first 


10 


A   Restless  Night 

conclusions  with  regard  to  these  people  led  me  to 
believe  that  they  were  of  a  very  different  class  to 
the  ignorant  barbarians  they  had  been  generally 
depicted,  and  that  they  were,  in  fact,  quite  civilized 
and  up-to-date.  Mr.  Beru,  like  Captain  Harrington 
and  the  other  officials,  gave  us  but  little  encourage- 
ment. Indeed,  he  threw  more  cold  water  on  our 
schemes,  by  scoffing  at  the  idea  of  King  Menelik 
allowing  us  to  travel  beyond  his  capital. 

Somewhat  disheartened,  we  lay  down  at  eleven 
o'clock  for  slumber.  Personally  I  waged  a  cease- 
less war  against  mosquitoes,  but  at  the  same 
time  gained  experience  of  the  advantages  of 
alarum  clocks.  Harrington  having  set  one  of 
these  to  rouse  the  camp  at  2  a.m.  for  continuing 
the  desert  march,  placed  it  on  his  table.  Yet,  in 
spite  of  this  precaution,  some  one  awoke  him  about 
midnight,  stating  that  it  was  already  two  o'clock. 
Again,  later  on,  a  second  restless  being  roused  him 
with  the  same  statement ;  and  yet  even  a  third  dis- 
turber appeared,  who  even  went  so  far  as  to  affirm 
that  the  alarum  had  already  gone  off.  Harrington 
was  up  at  once,  and,  in  the  midst  of  giving  orders, 
the  alarum  really  did  at  last  go  off,  much  to  his  own 
astonishment  and  my  amusement.  I  had  far  more 
admiration  for  Harrington's  lesson  in  patience  than 
for  the  usefulness  of  his  clock. 

After  bidding  Captain  Harrington  good-bye,  we 
retraced  our  steps  to  Zeila,  with  the  intention  of 
sailing  to  Berbera,  and  of  equipping  an  expedition 
at  that  port. 


ii 


CHAPTER  II 

A    REAL    BEGINNING 

Zeila — We  proceed  to  Berbera — A  revised  programme — Berbcra  of 
to-day — Vincent  leaves  me — Blindness  of  one  of  my  surveyors — 
His  return  to  India — I  return  to  my  original  plan — My  caravan 
— Mohamed  Hassan — A  second  start — Arrival  at  Hargeisa — 
Lord  Delamere's  house — The  Hargeisa  people  pay  their  respects 
— They  discuss  railway  question0 — Departure  from  Hargeisa — 
The  sick  are  brought  to  me — Encamped  on  the  plain — A  mid- 
night __  adventure — Arrival  at  Jig-Jigga  Fort — Reception  by 
Abdullah — An  enforced  but  pleasant  delay  at  the  frontier — Ras 
Makonnen's  reply — Departure  for  Harrar. 

WHILST  waiting  a  few  days  for  the  return  of  the 
Elphinstone,  we  were  enabled  to  judge  the  meaning 
of  a  solitary  life  at  Zeila,  and  to  learn  what  banish- 
ment from  all  worldly  pleasures  it  entails.  To 
begin  with,  the  climate  is  of  a  very  trying  nature, 
besides  being  destructive  to  the  memory  and  the 
eyesight.  The  residency  itself,  a  badly  constructed 
stone  bungalow,  stands  alone  in  the  midst  of  sand. 
Beyond  the  doors  of  this  depressing-looking  build- 
ing there  is  no  inducement  whatever  to  venture — 
not  even  a  hare  to  shoot  over  this  flat  and  profitless 
land.  The  sea  itself,  they  say,  is  infested  with 
sharks,  and  before  even  boating  can  be  attempted, 
a  broad  stretch  of  shallow  water  must  be  crossed. 

12 


Zeila  To-day  and  To-morrow 

We  walked  over  a  furnace  of  sands  to  inspect  the 
native  quarter.  There  was  the  usual  accumulation 
of  temporary  huts  built  by  Somalis  who  brought 
laden  camels  to  the  port,  and  a  permanent  collec- 
tion of  miserable  buildings  forming  very  narrow  and 
dirty  lanes.  The  most  pretentious-looking  shop 
was  one  kept  by  a  Greek,  who  sold,  or  rather  hoped 
to  sell,  vast  stores  of  brandy  and  vermouth.  Nor 
did  we  have  any  inclination  to  test  this  unknown 
brand,  in  spite  of  the  permanent  thirst  that  Zeila 
promotes.  Possibly,  in  a  few  years'  time,  changes 
will  have  taken  place,  and  Zeila  will  have  blossomed 
into  prosperity.  Instead  of  finding  a  solitary  British 
officer  there,  fighting  all  he  can  for  his  own  Govern- 
ment and  for  his  health,  we  shall  then  perhaps  meet 
and  hail  a  cab  on  landing,  and  request  to  be  driven 
to  the  railway  terminus. 

On  the  i  ith  of  September  we  landed  at  Berbera, 
with  ideas  of  taking  an  expedition  southwards  across 
the  Webbi  Shebeyl  river  east  of  Barri,  and  across 
the  Juba  river  east  of  Lugh,  then  striking  west  for 
the  south  of  Lake  Rudolf,  before  steering  northwards 
for  Khartum.  This  journey,  however,  interesting  as 
it  would  have  been,  transgressed  boundary  treaties, 
and  speedily  vanished  into  dreamland. 

Since  my  last  visit  to  Berbera  some  three  years 
ago,  many  changes  had  occurred  ;  the  whole  atmo- 
sphere has  changed  — the  place  appeared  to  me  to 
have  lost  its  former  charm  and  freedom.  To-day 
every  stone  of  it  is  strictly  under  the  official  thumb, 
entailing  endless  rules,  regulations,  taxes,  and  certi- 
ficates from  every  shooting- party.  Since,  too,  the 

13 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

whole  of  the  Ogaden  country  has  been  handed  over 
to  the  Abyssinians,  the  field  for  sport  is  decidedly 
limited.  Then,  too,  the  prices  of  all  things  are 
undoubtedly  higher.  Camels,  for  instance,  were 
formerly  bought  for  from  thirty  to  forty  rupees  each, 
whereas  to-day  the  price  is  from  fifty  to  sixty. 
Many  Somalis  now  speak  English  well,  and  there 
has  sprung  up  a  small  hotel,  where  one  expects  to 
find  a  notice  board  with  some  such  comforting 
announcement  as  this  : — 

"  Shooting  excursions  carefully  arranged  in 
every  detail.  Somalis  trained  to  English  ways ; 
none  supplied  from  the  jungles.  Camels  carefully 
selected  and  purchased,"  and  so  forth. 

At  this  critical  time  my  little  party  became  re- 
duced to  half  its  original  number,  for  Vincent  said 
he  would  rather  go  shooting  than  make  further 
attempts  to  reach  Abyssinia  ;  whilst  Duffadar  Ramji 
Lai  fell  nearly  blind  of  one  eye,  and  thus  his  ser- 
vices as  a  surveyor  being  at  an  end,  he  was  sent 
back  to  India. 

I  therefore  decided  to  try  and  overtake  Harring- 
ton at  Harrar,  and  travel  with  him  to  the  Abyssinian 
capital.  After  some  difficulty  I  hired  eight  camels 
for  one  and  a  half  rupees  apiece  per  diem,  and  four 
camelmen  to  convey  Shahzad  Mir  and  my  own 
goods  as  far  as  the  Abyssinian  frontier  post  of 
Jig-Jigga.  I  also  enlisted  a  Somali  boy  named 
Mohamed  Hassan,  who  had  previously  become  ac- 
quainted with  me,  had  already  made  journeys  with 
numerous  English  sportsmen,  and  had  recently 
visited  England  as  a  member  of  the  troop  of 

14 


My  Somali   Boy 

Somalis  who  were  exhibiting  at  the  Crystal  Palace. 
Mohamed  was  chiefly  struck  by  the  kind  treatment 
and  gifts  he  had  received  from  English  ladies, 
whom  he  found  far  more  generous  than  those  who 
were  to  be  met  with  at  continental  exhibitions.  He 


>7 

^y^  ^ 


MUHAMED   HASSAN,    MY  SOMALI   BOY. 


was  also  astonished  at  the  size  of  the  sheep  and 
horses  in  England,  and  at  the  low  course  the  sun 
took  across  the  heavens.  In  addition  to  Mohamed 
I  took  a  cook-boy,  most  appropriately  named  Hash. 
On  the  afternoon  of  the  I3th  of  September,  having 
bid  farewell  to  Vincent  and  Lieutenant  Cordeaux, 
the  Assistant  Resident  at  Berbera,  we  started.  The 
Somalis,  on  seeing  the  small  size  of  my  caravan, 
remarked,  "  This  gentleman  does  not  intend  going 

15 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

very  far  ;  "  and  they  wondered  why  I  travelled  on 
foot,  yet  there  was  no  reason  for  their  astonishment, 
as  on  that  day  there  was  not  a  single  mule  or  pony  to 
be  bought.  It  was  quite  jolly,  after  so  much  shifting 
and  muddling,  to  be  definitely  on  the  move  again  ; 
besides,  I  am  always  fond  of  Somalis — they  appear 
to  me  to  be  so  cheery,  affectionate,  plucky,  sporting, 
and  clean.  Their  one  fault  is  avarice,  which  may  be 
classed  as  a  relieving  feature  amidst  so  many  virtues. 
By  beginning  the  march  at  2  a.m.,  and  again  in 
the  afternoon,  we  reached  Hargeisa  on  Sunday 
the  1 8th.  On  that  day  I  had  marched  eleven  hours, 
so  was  glad  to  seek  rest  beneath  a  shady  gurha 
tree,  and  await  the  arrival  of  the  camels.  Shortly 
after  my  arrival  the  son  of  Sheikh  Madr,  who  is 
the  leading  spirit  and  Molah  of  the  district,  came  to 
my  camp  and  refreshed  me  with  some  dirty  water 
from  his  holy  bottle,  and  afterwards  brought  me  a 
more  appetizing  drink  in  the  shape  of  a  "deel"  of  fresh 
milk.  He  inquired  how  it  was  I  seemed  so  desti- 
tute, without  food,  water,  or  hat — the  latter  having 
been  lost  in  pursuit  of  some  oryx,  He  then  offered 
to  conduct  me  round  Hargeisa,  a  spot  of  exceptional 
beauty.  We  crossed  the  moist  sandy  river-bed,  and 
ascended,  through  shady  trees  and  bushes  bright 
with  flowers  both  red  and  yellow,  to  a  whitewashed 
building  composed  of  four  square  sides  with  rounded 
corners,  constituting  a  species  of  watch-tower. 
Entering  by  large  wooden  folding-gates,  we  came 
upon  an  open  yard,  and  in  one  portion  of  it,  a  single- 
roomed  building  supported  by  many  pillars.  It 
was  a  damp  and  dingy  abode,  reminding  me  of  an 

16 


Hargeisa's   Possibilities 

underground  dungeon,  a  most  undesirable  place  of 
residence  ;  and  this  appears  to  be  the  opinion  of  the 
builder,  Lord  Delamere,  for  I  am  told  he  has  never 
yet  visited  the  house.  The  village  of  Hargeisa  itself 
consists  of  a  number  of  mortarless  huts  separated 
by  stone-paved  streets.  The  only  house  of  stone 
to  be  seen  is  one  that  Sheikh  Madr  is  building  for 
his  own  use. 

On  the  arrival  of  the  tired  camels,  just  before 
sunset,  several  people  came  to  pay  their  respects, 
having  learnt  that  an  Englishman  had  arrived  from 
Berbera.  They  all  talked  of  the  railway  which  the 
French  had  commenced  making  from  Jibouti,  and 
eagerly  inquired  why  the  English  did  nothing  to 
help  the  inhabitants  of  Hargeisa  by  constructing  a 
line  to  Berbera  and  to  Harrar.  These  simple 
people  place  such  complete  confidence  in  the  Sirkar 
(Government)  that  they  believe  whatever  we  wish 
to  accomplish  we  can  do,  in  spite  of  every  opposi- 
tion. Certainly,  a  railway  running  through  Hargeisa 
would  carry  a  strong  inducement  to  the  people 
of  those  districts  to  cultivate  the  soil  and  utilize 
the  fine  pasture  land  to  a  greater  extent  than  they 
do  at  the  present  day.  The  difficulties,  moreover, 
of  such  a  piece  of  engineering  would  be  facilitated 
by  the  supplies  of  stone  and  wood  to  be  had 
around  Hargeisa  itself,  and  possibly  by  the  quantity 
of  coal  to  be  found  between  Hargeisa  and  Berbera. 
In  my  idea,  a  residence  at  Hargeisa,  which  lies  at  a 
height  of  nearly  4000  feet,  with  a  temperate  climate 
at  this  time  of  the  year,  would  be  far  preferable  to 
a  sea-level,  sand-beaten  domicile  at  Berbera. 

17  C 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

On  leaving  Hargeisa  we  travelled  for  many  miles 
through  beautiful  park-like  land,  alive  with  birds 
and  jungle  fowl.  We  met  the  usual  Somali  khafilas 
of  Habr-Awal  men,  carrying  their  skins,  gums,  ghi, 
and  coffee  to  our  port  at  Bulhar,  situated  between 
Berbera  and  Zeila.  Many  of  these  Habr-Awal, 
who  had  pitched  their  karias  (or  native  village)  by 
the  Abyssinian  border,  had  evidently  mixed  their 
breed  with  the  latter,  but  whether  willingly  or  not 
I  cannot  say.  As  is  customary  when  travelling  in 
Somaliland,  despairing  mothers  and  relatives  brought 
their  sick  to  me  to  be  cured  or  killed  ;  and  my 
camelmen,  who  complained  bitterly  of  the  cold  in 
the  early  mornings,  maintained  their  reputation  by 
continually  asking  for  sheep.  My  generosity  in 
this  respect  was  rewarded  by  their  inability  to  rise 
on  the  day  following  their  feast  before  five  instead 
of  at  2  a.m.  I  therefore  carefully  explained  to  them 
the  gravity  of  their  crime  and  the  penalty  forth- 
coming, and  warned  them  that  they  had  had  their 
innings,  and  that  now  I  intended  having  mine. 

We  travelled  practically  all  day  long,  till  we 
reached  an  open  grassy  plain,  over  which  roamed 
immense  herds  of  camels.  As  we  were  traversing 
this  vast  stretch  of  prairie-land,  rain  began  to  fall 
freely,  and  a  halt  was  called.  I  retired  for  the 
night  in  my  small  tent,  and  soon  fell  sound  asleep. 
Suddenly  my  dreams  were  rudely  disturbed  by 
the  collapse  of  my  sleeping  place.  All  was  in 
an  uproar  and  all  was  darkness,  while  I  was 
fast  becoming  suffocated,  and  was  struggling 
violently  beneath  the  dripping  canvas,  whose 

18 


A  Futile  Fort 

great  weight  completely  foiled  every  attempt  at 
shouting.  At  this  juncture  my  ever  ready  duffadar 
rushed  to  my  aid,  and  explained  to  me  the  cause  of 
my  misfortune.  It  appeared  that  two  of  the  camels 
had  had  an  altercation  during  the  night,  and  had 
selected  my  tent  as  a  suitable  spot  in  which  to  settle 
their  dispute. 

At  the  further  extremity  of  this  plain  lies  the 
Abyssinian  fort  of  Jig-Jigga,  whither  I  had  already 
despatched  a  messenger  to  inform  its  commander  of 
my  approach,  and  to  request  that  no  hindrance 
should  be  placed  in  my  way  of  proceeding  further. 
The  reply  ordered  me  to  halt  at  once  and  await 
instructions.  Thereupon  I  despatched  a  second 
messenger,  politely  pointing  out  that  a  waterless 
plain  could  scarcely  be  considered  a  fitting  place  in 
which  to  remain  encamped,  and  that  I  was  proceed- 
ing slowly  to  Jig-Jigga.  A  few  hours  later  on,  from 
the  higher  ground,  we  hailed  the  fort.  It  was 
situated  in  an  open  valley,  and,  though  built  on  a 
low  level,  I  was  struck  by  the  conspicuous  position 
it  occupied,  for  it  commands  the  main  roads  to 
Berbera,  Zeila,  Harrar,  and  the  Ogaden,  and  it  is 
the  tax-collecting  station  for  all  caravans  using  these 
routes.  As  we  began  to  descend  towards  it,  a 
violent  storm  swept  over  us,  yet  the  camels  some- 
how managed  to  slide  along  the  soaking  track  till 
within  rifle-shot  of  the  place,  when,  leaving  the 
men  to  pitch  camp,  I  took  my  Somali  boy  Mohamed 
with  me,  and  walked  on  to  the  fort.  We  first  came 
across  a  couple  of  Abyssinians,  then  Harraris  and 
Somalis,  who  inquisitively  pressed  around  us  ;  and, 

19 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

whilst  word  was  being  sent  inside,  I  took  advantage 
of  the  delay  to  look  around,  and  at  once  concluded 
that  "  fort "  was  a  somewhat  misleading  designation 
to  apply  to  such  a  place,  for  it  consisted  merely  of 
some  feeble  stockade  work  strengthened  by  a  plat- 
form of  earth  built  up  against  it  inside.  In  fact, 
should  the  commander  raise  objections,  I  felt  quite 
capable  of  storming  it  merely  with  my  camelmen. 
Abdullah,  however,  for  such  was  the  chief's  name, 
proved  himself  to  be  a  worthy  host,  and  a  friend  with 
the  best  intentions.  It  was  an  unmistakable  pleasure 
to  enter  his  primitive,  circular,  wattle  hut,  where  a 
wood  fire  was  cheerily  glowing,  and  where  fresh 
dry  grass  and  matting  had  been  spread  out  for 
my  sake,  with  a  carpeted  box  whereon  to  dry  and 
warm  myself;  and  when  cigars  and  hot  cups  of 
excellent  coffee  had  been  handed  round,  I  for  a 
few  moments  forgot  the  storms,  the  slippery  roads, 
and  the  drenched,  weather-beaten  men  and  camels 
— such  is  the  selfishness  of  human  nature.  The 
Arab  Abdullah  explained  how  but  latterly  Jig- Jigga 
had  been  recognized  by  Abyssinia  as  a  link  in  its 
boundary  chain,  and  how  he  was  stationed  there  for 
observation,  and  to  furnish  information  of  parties 
attempting  to  cross  the  frontier,  adding  with  apolo- 
gies that  more  than  one  messenger  had  already 
ridden  off  post-haste  to  Harrar  to  report  my  wishes 
to  its  governor,  Ras  Makonnen.  He  also  expressed 
his  willingness  to  provide  me  with  fresh  camels, 
ponies,  and  everything  else  I  might  require,  even 
placing  at  my  disposal  his  own  little  house,  until 
such  time  as  the  messengers  returned  from  Harrar. 

20 


Killing  Time 

At  the  same  time,  he  expressed  with  evident 
sincerity  his  admiration  for  the  British  Government, 
and  his  love  for  the  British  people,  and  favourably 
compared  our  methods  with  those  of  other  countries. 

These  few  days  of  forced  delay  were  a  trial  of 
patience,  for  I  feared  lest  Harrington  should  quit 
Harrar  before  my  arrival,  knowing  that  to  effect 
a  satisfactory  departure  from  that  town  without 
his  aid  would  be  a  tedious  and  doubtful  under- 
taking. Sometimes  Abdullah,  with  an  armed  and 
mounted  escort,  would  pay  me  a  visit,  when  an  out- 
spread rug,  a  tin  of  biscuits,  with  tea  and  cigarettes, 
gratified  his  curiosity,  while  a  liberal  supply  of  ghi 
and  dates  was  equally  appreciated  by  his  attendants. 
Each  morning  my  gun  provided  guineafowl,  hares, 
and  bustard  for  the  table  ;  whilst  milk,  eggs,  and 
vegetables  were  sent  from  the  fort.  Later  in  the 
day  we  would  form  hunting-parties,  and,  mounted 
on  Abdullah's  excellent  ponies,  ride  off  in  search  of 
lions  through  countless  miles  of  high  grass.  In  the 
evening  I  would  sit  with  Abdullah  in  his  pretty 
little  garden,  neatly  planted  with  jowari,  onions, 
tomatoes,  rhubarb,  bananas,  and  various  herbs, 
flowers,  and  spices,  and  we  would  remain  chatting 
in  the  shade  over  our  coffee  and  cigars  till  sunset. 

By  my  description  of  my  host's  garden  some  idea 
will  have  been  gathered  of  the  productive  powers  of 
this  beautiful  grass  valley,  which  is  irrigated  by  the 
river  Jerrer  flowing  close  to  the  fort.  It  lies,  too,  at 
a  height  of  5200  feet  above  the  sea-level,  and,  at 
this  time  of  the  year,  the  maximum  temperature  was 
80°  Fahr.  by  day,  and  40°  by  night.  Abdullah  was 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

modest  in  his  demands  when  I  insisted  on  returning 
his  welcome.  He  wished  only  for  some  medicines, 
and  more  particularly  an  antidote  against  snake-bites, 
for  he  averred  that  a  certain  snake  had  made  his 
own  house  its  home,  and  he  was  anxious  to  have  a 
medicine  ready  to  apply  as  soon  as  the  snake  thought 
fit  to  bite  him.  The  Somali  chiefs  who  dwelt  in  this 
place  were  somewhat  discomfited  with  regard  to  the 
unsatisfactory  position  of  their  tribe,  complaining 
that  half  of  them  were  subjects  of  the  British 
Government,  and  the  other  half  under  the  Abys- 
sinian rule.  They  gave  me  their  opinions  on  the 
Abyssinians  in  general,  telling  me  how,  just  at  the 
present  time,  they  were  enjoying  a  ten  days'  cele- 
bration of  the  feast  of  Mascal,  or  of  the  Holy  Cross. 
They  added  that  this  was  the  cause  of  the  delay  in 
the  return  of  the  messengers  from  Harrar.  They 
also  told  me  that  Sunday  was  a  day  observed  by 
them  all.  In  fact,  they  did  all  they  could  to  allay 
my  impatience. 

Finally,  on  the  28th  of  September,  our  waiting 
was  amply  rewarded,  for  a  reply  arrived  from  Ras 
Makonnen,  demanding  from  Abdullah  the  cause 
of  his  delaying  me  so  long,  and  ordering  him  to 
assist  me  in  reaching  Harrar  without  delay.  Forth- 
with we  set  out  with  fresh  camels  and  riding-mules, 
bidding  a  friendly  good-bye  to  our  Arab  host. 


22 


CHAPTER    III 

THE    ARRIVAL    AT    HARRAR 

Across  the  frontier — A  pretty  picture — I  push  on  with  all  speed 
— Arrival  at  Shummet — First  glimpse  of  Harrar — Arrival  in  the 
city — A  visit  to  the  palace— I  overtake  Captain  Harrington — Ras 
Makonnen  visits  our  camp — Impressions  of  Harrar. 

FROM  Jig-Jigga  onwards  the  characteristics  of  the 
country  changed,  making  me  feel  that  we  had 
indeed  crossed  the  frontier  into  another  dominion. 
Instead  of  open  plains  and  jungles  of  thorny  trees, 
we  were  in  a  land  of  hill  and  dale,  beaming  with 
barley  and  jowari  fields,  with  neatly-made  little 
villages  dotted  about  in  cosy  corners,  whose  circular 
wattle  huts  of  brown  or  red  mud  looked  quite  pic- 
turesque. Whilst  halting  at  midday  in  the  midst 
of  such  pretty  scenery,  where  children  ran  out  from 
the  huts  to  bring  me  milk  and  piles  of  freshly  picked 
tomatoes,  another  messenger  arrived  from  Ras 
Makonnen,  telling  me  to  make  all  haste  to  Harrar, 
as  he  and  Harrington  were  both  on  the  point  of 
leaving  for  Adis  Ababa,  the  capital  of  Abyssinia. 

Without  any  delay,  I  set  out  in  advance  of  my 
party,  with  my  Somali  boy  Hash,  leaving  Shahzad  Mir 
and  Mohamed  to  bring  the  baggage.  That  same 

23 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

evening,  about  nine  o'clock,  we  reached  the  village  of 
Shummet,  which  crowns  the  summit  of  a  range  of 
hills  lying  between  Harrar  and  Jig-Jigga,  and  can 
be  noticed  from  a  very  considerable  distance  on 
account  of  three  fine  trees  that  stand  out  con- 
spicuously against  the  sky-line.  The  headman  of 
this  village  was  a  Somali,  also  named  Abdullah, 
who  did  all  that  lay  in  his  small  power  to  provide 
us  with  a  night's  lodging.  We  were  invited  into 
one  of  the  circular  huts  with  whose  exterior  we  had 
now  grown  familiar,  and  here  we  sat  talking  for 
some  length  of  time,  till  I  fell  asleep.  Occasionally 
I  half  awoke,  and  whenever  I  did  so  I  always  heard 
a  confused  and  incessant  babbling.  Later  on  I 
awoke  altogether.  The  hut  was  dark  and  silent, 
yet  I  discovered,  on  shifting  a  leg  or  an  arm,  that 
somebody  came  in  contact  with  me.  I  could  not 
make  this  out  at  first,  but  on  dawn  breaking  I 
became  aware  that  we  were  simply  packed  like 
sardines,  but  in  a  stifling  atmosphere  instead  of 
in  oil. 

I  jumped  up,  and,  after  thanking  Abdullah  for 
his  warm  reception  and  for  the  two  ponies  he  had 
lent  us,  we  mounted  and  hastened  onwards  with  all 
speed  to  Harrar.  The  ponies,  alas  !  were  small  and 
weak,  and  the  sun  arose  before  we  had  covered 
very  much  ground  ;  still,  we  had  been  able  to  see  our 
goal  from  early  morning,  and  the  first  glimpse  had 
shown  Harrar  to  be  a  town  occupying  high  ground, 
and  of  red  ochre  colour  relieved  by  one  white  tall 
building.  On  we  pressed,  riding  and  walking 
alternately,  taking  refreshment  from  the  several 

24 


Harrar   at   last ! 

rivulets  that  crossed  our  road,  for  the  country  was 
hilly  and  cultivated.  As  we  drew  nearer,  we  met 
great  numbers  of  noisy,  uncouth  Abyssinian  soldiers, 
carrying  their  rifles,  who  were  returning  to  their 
villages  after  the  big  festival  of  Mascal,  or  the  Holy 
Cross.  Shortly  after  noon  rain  fell  heavily,  and  we 


HARRAR    (FROM   THE   WEST). 


hurried  on  towards  the  city  walls  to  seek  shelter 
beneath  one  of  the  five  covered  gateways  by  which 
entrance  is  obtained. 

As  I  stood  for  a  moment  with  a  "  rescued  from 
drowning"  sort  of  feeling,  several  Abyssinians,  who 
were  evidently  on  duty  at  the  post,  commenced 

25 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

loudly  shouting  at  me,  whilst  one  even  went  so  far 
as  to  lay  hold  of  my  pony's  bridle.  A  second 
wetting  I  strongly  resented,  and  my  good  little 
pony  manfully  seconded  my  objections,  for  he  also 
was  dead  tired.  All  attempts  at  removing  us  had 
so  far  proved  fruitless,  when  I  suddenly  realized 
that  the  Abyssinians  only  wished  to  show  us  a 
more  serviceable  shelter  close  by,  where  too  we 
should  in  no  way  be  obstructing  the  thoroughfare. 

As  we  waited  for  the  rain  to  pass  over,  we  watched 
the  women  bringing  in  their  bundles  of  sticks,  from 
each  of  which  the  guard  at  the  gate  selected  a  few 
pieces  as  a  tax  on  their  goods.  We  then  made  our 
way  up  a  narrow  street  paved  with  big  stones,  over 
which  the  water  now  swept  like  a  torrent,  till  we 
found  ourselves  in  the  market-place  of  Harrar. 
Here  we  were  in  the  midst  of  an  aimless,  idle,  loaf- 
ing crowd  of  Abyssinians,  Gallas,  Harraris,  and 
Somalis.  As  we  strolled  around,  looking  about  us, 
I  noticed  a  European  face  behind  the  counter  of  a 
small  nondescript  shop,  and  on  entering  I  found  its 
owner  to  be  an  Armenian.  Out  of  sheer  good- 
hearted  ness  he  provided  shelter  and  grass  for  our 
ponies,  and  bowls  of  tea  for  ourselves,  so  that  we 
felt  sufficiently  invigorated  to  continue  our  search  for 
Ras  Makonnen,  who  is  the  fountain-head  of  every- 
thing here,  for  nobody  could  afford  us  any  informa- 
tion beyond  news  of  his  own  personal  doings.  We 
passed  over  to  the  other  side  of  the  market-place, 
and  then  crossed  a  couple  of  court-yards  of  the  old 
palace,  filled  with  a  noisy  and  talkative  crowd.  Over 
the  entrance  of  the  palace  floated  a  flag  of  three 

26 


A    Dangerous    Misunderstanding 

pennants  of  the  Abyssinian  colours — red,  green,  and 
yellow.  Sometimes  they  are  hung  in  one  order, 
sometimes  in  another,  but  whether  any  special 
meaning  is  connected  with  the  change  I  cannot 
say. 

At  one  spot  I  noticed  a  Somali  quietly  leaving 
the  place,  when,  without  any  apparent  provocation, 
an  Abyssinian  came  up  behind  and  severely  beat 
him  with  a  stick.  Quickly  the  Somali  turned,  and, 
seizing  the  weapon  from  his  aggressor,  returned  the 
blows  with  such  interest,  that  the  latter  would  have 
fared  but  badly  had  not  other  Abyssinians  rushed 
up  to  his  aid  and  joined  in  attacking  the  poor 
Somali,  who  continued  fighting  against  unequal 
odds,  whilst  we  were  carried  along  by  the  crowd 
out  of  sight  and  hearing.  From  what  I  know  of 
the  Abyssinians  now,  I  dare  say  the  Somali  in 
question  deserved  his  punishment  On  reaching 
a  third  court,  from  which  a  few  steps  led  up  into  the 
palace  itself,  the  clamour  was  deafening,  for  many 
of  the  throng  seemed  scarcely  to  have  recovered 
from  the  effects  of  the  last  few  days'  merry-making. 
At  this  point  an  aged  Abyssinian  priest  offered  his 
services,  and  on  learning  the  object  of  my  visit, 
straightway  ascended  the  steps  to  inform  the  Ras 
of  my  arrival.  During  all  this  time  my  fox  terrier 
was  with  me,  and  in  order  to  take  better  care  of  her 
I  had  handed  my  rifle  to  Hash,  impressing  upon 
him  the  necessity  of  never  parting  with  it,  but, 
whilst  awaiting  the  priest's  return,  I  suddenly 
became  aware  of  a  terrific  scrimmage  taking  place 
behind  me.  There,  to  my  amazement,  was  Hash 

27 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

seized  from  all  sides,  but  still  determined  to  carry 
out  his  instructions  in  refusing  to  let  go  his  hold  of 
the  rifle.  I  expostulated  and  joined  the  scrimmage, 
when  fortunately  at  this  juncture  the  priest  reap- 
peared, and,  having  upbraided  the  officials  present 
for  their  conduct,  informed  me  that  Harrington  was 


CAPTAIN    HARRINGTON    AND    HIS    ESCORT. 

encamped  without  the  city  walls,  where  he  would 
order  an  official  to  conduct  us.  The  crowd,  on 
learning  that  I  was  an  Englishman,  forthwith 
made  way. 

We  had  soon  quitted  the  court-yards,  the  market- 
place, and  the  narrow,  dirty,  stony  lanes,  and  were 
walking  briskly  over  the  turf  outside  the  town. 
As  we  proceeded,  the  official,  who  evidently 

28 


The  Lesson  of  Khartum 

regretted  his  previous  behaviour,  made  amends  by 
trying  to  make  me  understand  that  the  English  and 
Abyssinians  were  Christians,  with  identical  views  — 
that  we  were,  in  fact,  one  and  the  same. 

It  was  not  very  long  before  the  smartly  pitched 
camp  of  H.B.M.'s  Agent  was  in  sight,  and  heartily 
glad  I  was  to  find  that  our  attempts  to  make  up  for 
lost  time  had  so  far  proved  successful. 

Before  reaching  Harrar  rumours  had  almost 
convinced  me  that  I  should  meet  a  Frenchman  at 
every  corner,  and  that  everything  and  everywhere 
would  be  smacking  of  French.  Certainly  the 
salutation  of  "  Bon  jour,  monsieur,"  from  a  Somali 
boy  who  crossed  my  path  with  a  caravan  a 
couple  of  days  the  other  side  of  Jig-Jigga,  and 
incidents  of  a  similar  nature,  further  strengthened 
these  reports.  But  as  we  drew  close  to  Harrar 
itself  incidents  the  very  reverse  frequently  befell 
me,  and  once  within  the  walls  of  this  important 
town  I  was  soon  impressed  with  the  fact  that, 
after  all,  the  friendship  of  the  English  and  not  of 
the  French  was,  for  the  moment  at  least,  considered 
more  desirable  of  cultivation.  What  was  the 
cause  of  this  inconsistency?  It  was  the  fall  of 
Khartum  !  On  the  very  day  of  my  arrival  I  had 
ample  evidence,  not  only  of  the  sincere  personal 
liking  evinced  by  Ras  Makonnen  for  H.B.M.'s 
Agent,  but  also  his  determina  ion  and  wish  to 
increase  the  existing  friendship  with  the  English 
people.  All  this  augured  well  for  my  relatively 
unimportant  projects. 

After  Harrington  and  I  had  exchanged  greetings, 

29 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

we  sat  down  to  discuss  our  adventures  on  the  road. 
The  British  Agent  had  scarcely  finished  telling  me 
what  had  befallen  him  on  the  way  from  Zeila,  when 
it  was  announced  that  Ras  Makonnen  was  about  to 
pay  him  a  visit.  Stepping  outside  the  tent,  we  saw 
a  dense  crowd  moving  from  the  city  towards  our 
camp.  At  the  head  of  the  cavalcade  was  a  large 
body  of  soldiers  marching  in  loose  formation,  yet 


RAS  MAKONNEN'S  CAMP  AT  SHOLA. 

presenting  a  striking  picture,  decked  as  they  were  in 
their  white  shammas  with  broad  red  stripes.  Then 
rode  the  Ras  himself,  wearing  a  grey  slouch  felt  hat. 
Being  mounted  on  a  mule,  he  was  therefore  easily 
recognizable  among  the  host  of  followers.  Behind 
him  came  more  foot-soldiers,  and  crowds  of  people 
brought  up  the  rear.  As  soon  as  the  approach  of 
the  Ras  was  announced,  Harrington's  escort  of  four 
sawars,  chosen  from  the  Aden  troop,  were  formed 

30 


Ras   Makonnen 

up  with  drawn  and  carried  swords,  ready  to  receive 
Makonnen  as  he  drew  near  to  the  tent.  As  the 
Abyssinian  general  approached  and  saluted  the 
escort,  I  was  struck  with  his  appearance.  I  saw  him 
to  be  a  well-made,  clean-built  horseman,  with  an  in- 
telligent, shrewd,  kindly,  and  thoughtful  expression. 
During  his  somewhat  lengthened  stay  with  Captain 
Harrington,  the  mass  of  followers  standing  without, 
a  few  yards  distant  from  the  tent,  respectfully  main- 
tained a  dead  silence.  As  soon  as  the  Ras  prepared 
to  move  off,  certain  Gallas  (who  are  the  inhabitants 
and  former  possessors  of  Southern  Abyssinia)  rushed 
forwards,  crying  loudly,  "  Abeit ! "  "  Abeit ! "  which 
means  "  Justice  ! "  "  Justice  !  "  but  for  the  most  part 
they  were  promptly  collared  and  roughly  handled  by 
the  soldiers,  who  gave  them  a  dose  of  what  they  con- 
sidered "  abeit."  As  a  matter  of  fact,  Ras  Makonnen 
is  always  ready  to  listen  to  every  complaint,  but  as 
these  are  sometimes  numerous,  certain  aggrieved 
individuals  have  perforce  to  await  their  turn  for 
several  days,  hence  their  impatience. 

The  Fates  laughed  at  our  hurried  journey  to 
Harrar,  and  decreed  that  we  should  remain  there 
for  more  than  a  week,  Harrington  being  unable  to 
leave  earlier.  These  days  were  a  pleasant  rest,  full 
of  interest  and  enjoyment.  Everybody  and  every- 
thing was  novel  to  me,  and,  above  all,  I  was  favoured 
with  the  daily  companionship  and  friendship  of 
Harrington  himself. 

The  first  morning  after  my  arrival  in  camp,  I 
rose  early  to  inspect  the  walls  of  Harrar  and  its  neigh- 
bourhood. The  town  is  oblong  in  shape,  surrounded 

31 


The   Climate   of  Harrar 

by  walls  ten  or  twelve  feet  high,  varying  in 
breadth.  My  mule,  who  was  but  a  slow  walker,  took 
three-quarters  of  an  hour  to  carry  me  round.  This 
will  give  some  idea  of  their  extent.  On  the  south 
side  lay  a  rich  valley  of  jowari,  coffee,  bananas,  and 
vines,  with  a  profusion  of  flowers,  amongst  which 
the  wild  geranium  was  the  most  noticeable.  Towards 
the  north  stretched  green  valleys  and  hills  ;  and 
on  this  side,  close  by  the  walls,  one  of  the  prin- 
cipal watering-places  had  been  established,  and  to 
this  spot  numbers  of  women  repaired.  Ranges  of 
hills  on  the  north-west  and  south  command  the  town, 
and  were  they  held  by  skilfully  posted  batteries,  with 
additional  ones  at  Harrar  itself  to  protect  the  eastern 
side,  Harrar  would  be  impregnable.  As  it  is,  there 
are  some  guns  on  the  north  side,  where  salutes  are 
fired,  and  others  close  to  the  city  on  the  west  side, 
and  more  again  further  away  in  the  hills ;  but  their 
powers  of  execution  or  of  defence  are  probably  not 
very  formidable.  Anybody  who  pays  Harrar  a 
visit  will  wonder  why  the  place  was  ever  allowed  to 
slip  from  our  hands,  for  it  is  an  important  district, 
both  commercially  and  strategically ;  and  as  soon  as 
the  Abyssinians  come  to  a  reasonable  understanding, 
and  have  more  direct  dealings  with  Europeans,  its 
value  is  bound  to  increase  tenfold.  The  town  lies 
at  a  height  of  over  6000  feet  above  the  sea-level, 
and  at  this  time  of  the  year  the  climate  is  delightful, 
with  a  maximum  of  90°  by  day  and  a  minimum  of 
45°  by  night.  I  was  told  that  the  temperature,  day 
or  night,  only  varied  10°  C.  throughout  the  year. 


33 


CHAPTER    IV 


The  foreign  community  at  Harrar— The  custom  house — Church 
service  at  Harrar — Arrival  of  the  French  representative — Harrar's 
bakery  and  brewery — The  prison — Ras  Mangaschia — The  depar- 
ture for  the  capital — Ras  Makonnen's  army. 

A  SECOND  visit  took  me  inside  the  town  itself,  where 
I  was  fortunate  enough  to  become  acquainted  with 
Mr.  J.  Gerolimato,  representative  of  Liverato  Freres 
and  British  Vice-Consul.  He  is  a  well-wisher  and 
sound  helper  of  all  Englishmen.  Many  a  stroll  I 
took  with  him  through  the  bazaars  and  busy  parts 
of  Harrar,  where  I  came  across  several  other  worthy 
Greeks,  and  imbibed  many  tiny  cups  of  excellent 
Turkish  coffee.  I  must  have  met  nearly  twenty 
foreigners  in  all,  none  of  whom,  generally  speaking, 
struck  me  as  being  in  a  very  flourishing  condition, 
though  I  heard  the  Armenians  did  fairly  well. 
None  of  them  are  allowed  without  the  city  walls, 
with  the  exception  of  a  single  Greek,  who  has  lived 
at  Harrar  for  the  last  twenty-five  years.  The 
customs  house,  where  most  of  the  goods  consisted  of 
ivory,  coffee,  cloth,  lamps,  and  blue  enamelled  tum- 
blers without  number,  always  presented  a  busy,  hot, 
and  dusty  spectacle. 

34 


I  go   to   Church 

On  Sunday  church  was  my  attraction.  The 
service  commences  very  early  in  the  morning, 
finishing  perhaps  at  eight  o'clock.  How  these 
times  would  suit  the  good  people  in  England  I 
don't  know.  With  Mr.  Beru  as  my  escort,  I 
first  entered  the  outer  yard  of  a  circular  building — 
a  free-and-easy  place  of  worship,  for  there  we 
found  many  breakfasting.  We  then  mounted  a 
dozen  stone  steps  to  the  outer  circle  of  the  church 
itself,  where  were  assembled  the  congregation,  who 
stood  around  leaning  on  sticks  five  feet  long,  with 
tops  of  wood  or  brass.  The  priests,  who,  by  the 
way,  may  be  always  known  by  their  white  turbans, 
used  sticks  with  silver  tops.  I  was  handed  a  brass- 
topped  one,  and  endeavoured  to  lean  naturally  upon 
it,  like  everybody  else.  I  stood  between  two  priests, 
one  of  whom  was  kind  enough  to  shake  me  by  the 
hand.  The  sexes  were  divided.  The  women  sang 
and  prayed  in  the  east  half  of  the  building,  and  the 
men  in  the  west  half,  being  separated  from  seeing 
one  another  by  some  white  sheeting.  Within  this 
outer  circle  was  one  for  the  "holy  ones,"  such  as 
had  undergone  a  term  of  fasting  and  so  forth,  and 
again  within  this  was  the  circle  of  the  head  priest. 
The  service  itself  conveyed  nothing  to  my  mind  ;  I 
must  therefore  be  forgiven  for  taking  note  of  the 
dirty  walls,  which  were  all  scribbled  over.  The  two 
priests  who  stood  by  me  took  the  opportunity  of 
an  interval  in  the  service  to  call  upon  a  youth  to 
test  his  powers  of  chanting,  with  a  view  to  his  em- 
ployment. Although  the  noise  he  managed  to 
create  reminded  me  forcibly  of  a  torn  cat  wailing 

35 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

at  night  time  on  a  garden  wall,  yet  the  priests  were 
highly  satisfied.  The  youth's  attempts  at  chanting, 
added  to  the  contortions  of  his  face,  actually  drove 
me  out  of  the  church.  There  is  no  collection  in  an 
Abyssinian  church,  so  there  was  nothing  mean  in 
my  leaving  before  the  end.  Most  of  the  priests  are 
poor  ;  they  are  allotted  a  piece  of  land  by  Govern- 
ment, which  they  have  no  time  to  till,  and  conse- 
quently give  half  of  it  away  to  the  first  comer  who 
will  undertake  to  cultivate  the  other  half  for  them. 
Occasionally  a  man  at  his  death  leaves  something 
for  the  benefit  of  the  church.  Repairs  are  carried 
out  by  the  priest,  who  applies  to  Government  for 
the  wherewithal.  The  difficulties  of  constructing 
a  new  church  are  overcome  by  the  neighbouring 
people  assisting  as  best  they  can,  some  subscribing 
thatching,  others  wood,  and  so  forth.  After 
service,  Harrington  and  I  sumptuously  breakfasted 
with  the  principal  French  merchant,  Monsieur 
Guinioni.  What  the  nature  of  the  business  of  this 
hospitable  gentleman  was  I  never  discovered,  but, 
to  judge  from  his  liberality  and  open  house,  he  must 
have  been  carrying  on  a  very  profitable  trade. 

One  morning  Monsieur  Lagarde,  the  representa- 
tive of  France,  arrived  from  Jibouti,  and  I  sallied 
forth  in  good  time  to  see  what  was  going  on.  The 
town,  as  I  entered,  presented  its  normal  appearance. 
Suddenly  there  was  a  transformation,  and,  with 
astonishing  rapidity,  the  streets  were  lined  with 
soldiers,  the  officers  being  easily  noticeable  by  their 
various  coloured  silk  shirts,  and  by  their  green 
and  purple  shields  inlaid  with  gold  or  silver.  At 

36 


The   French   Representative 

the  same  moment  three-minute  guns  boomed  from 
the  saluting  battery,  and  Monsieur  Lagarde  appeared 
in  full  uniform,  mounted  on  a  mule,  escorted  by  a 
number  of  Somalis  dressed  in  white  uniform,  and  some 
Abyssinians.  I  took  up  a  lofty  position  on  a  raised 
platform  close  to  the  new  palace  itself,  affording  me 


M.    LAGARDE  S   ARRIVAL  AT   RAS   MAKONNEN'S   PALACE  AT   HARRAR. 

a  splendid  view  of  all  that  was  taking  place,  and  also 
of  the  surrounding  country.  1 1  was  somewhat  strange 
to  see  a  Frenchman  of  such  dignity  riding  in  Abys- 
sinian fashion,  with  men  on  either  side  placing  their 
hands  on  the  pummel  of  the  saddle.  This  is  an  old 
custom,  dating  even  as  far  back  as  the  Portuguese 
Embassy  to  Abyssinia  in  1520.  Father  Francisco 

37 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

Alvarez,  in  describing  the  travelling  of  Prester  John, 
tells  us — 


"  There  go  with  him  inside  the  curtain  six  pages,  whom 
they  call  '  legamonehos,'  which  means  pages  of  the  halter, 
and  they  go  in  this  manner.  The  mule  carries  a  rich  head- 
stall over  the  bridle,  and  this  headstall  has  at  the  chin  two 
ends  with  thick  tassels  of  silk,  and  with  these  ends  or 
tassels  go  two  pages,  each  on  one  side,  who  lead  the 
mule  as  if  by  a  halter  ;  two  others  go,  one  on  each  side, 
with  their  hands  on  the  neck  of  the  mule  ;  and  two  others 
behind  them  in  a  similar  manner,  with  their  hands  on  the 
mule's  haunches,  or  on  the  hinder  pummel  of  the  saddle." 

King  John  rode  after  this  fashion,  and  most 
men  of  importance  at  the  present  day  continue 
more  or  less  to  uphold  the  custom,  though  King 
Menelik  himself  rides  without  helpers.  I  believe 
the  custom  originated  from  the  inability  of  the  king 
— like  most  of  us — to  do  two  things  at  the  same 
time.  He  used  to  hear  and  decide  cases  as  he  pro- 
ceeded along  the  road,  and  therefore  had  no  time  to 
guide  and  direct  his  mule. 

Amongst  the  sights  worth  seeing  at  Harrar  are 
the  bakery  and  brewery  at  the  old  palace  of  Ras 
Makonnen.  The  work  is  carried  on  in  some 
adjacent  buildings.  The  bread  is  made  from  a 
small  reddish  grain  called  teff,  which,  after  being 
ground  up  and  mixed  with  water,  is  left  to  ferment. 
It  is  then  cooked  into  a  thick  paste,  and  poured  out 
on  to  an  open  pan  in  the  shape  of  a  thin  round  cake, 
starting  with  the  outer  edge.  This  food  is  light 
enough,  though,  owing  to  the  fermentation,  slightly 

38 


The   National    Drink 

sour,   but  this   is   counteracted   by   the   addition   of 
pepper  and  spices. 

Adjoining  the  bakery  were  the  "  tej  "  brewers. 
To  drink  tej  is  the  highest  bliss  of  some  Abys- 
sinians ;  it  is  one  of  the  main  objects  of  their 
existence.  Without  tej  and  without  women  life 
would  be  a  blank  to  them.  The  process  of  making 
it  is  simple  enough.  Water  and  honey,  in  the 
proportion  of  5  to  i,  are  mixed  together,  and  to  this 
is  added  an  infusion  of  the  leaves  of  the  geichi 
bush,  which  gives  the  drink  its  intoxicating  strength. 
The  longer  this  mixture  stands,  the  stronger  it 
becomes,  till  finally  the  essence  of  tej— known  as 
araki — is  distilled  from  it.  The  women  employed 
in  its  manufacture  were  generous  enough  with  their 
offerings,  pouring  first  a  little  into  their  own  hands 
to  drink,  and  then  handing  me  the  glass. 

The  beer- making  is  much  more  complicated,  as 
five  different  ingredients  are  required  :  (i)  Ground- 
up  barley ;  (2)  barley  soaked  and  caked,  and  kept 
till  it  begins  to  take  root ;  (3)  powdered  leaf  of 
the  geichi  bush ;  (4)  roast  barley,  ground  up  ;  (5) 
pieces  of  geichi  stick.  Nos.  i,  2,  and  3  are 
first  mixed  up  together  in  certain  proportions,  and 
after  three  days,  Nos.  5  and  6  are  added.  I  gave 
one  of  the  women  a  dollar  for  the  trouble  she 
had  taken  in  trying  to  drum  into  my  head  the 
intricacies  of  this  beer-making.  "  Oh,"  she  said, 
"  if  you  will  only  stop  here,  I  will  teach  you  how 
to  make  it  by  yourself."  Time  and  patience 
forbade  such  a  pleasure,  so  having  declined  her 
invitation,  I  continued  my  sight-seeing,  and  visited 

39 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

the    house  of  an   ordinary   petty  Abyssinian  mer- 
chant. 

As   Mr.  Beru  and    I    entered,   the  wife  of  the 
merchant  and  her  female  servant,  who  were  sitting 
industriously  spinning,  rose  to  receive  us.    The  house 
— or  hut — was  circular,  and  measured  about  twelve 
feet  in  diameter.     Facing  the  door  was  a  platform 
raised  a  foot  higher  than  the  level  of  the  floor,  to 
serve  as  a  bed.     In  the  mud  walls  were  various 
niches,  accommodating  odds  and  ends,  and  on  them 
hung  the  merchant's  rifle,  cartridge  belt,  his  Bible  in 
a  cloth  bag,  and  a   small  lamp,   also    some   caked 
sprouting  barley,  for  most  Abyssinians  brew  tej  in 
their  own  small  way.     In  the  centre  of  the  floor  was 
a  hole  to  carry  off  the  water  after  the  morning's 
ablutions.     The  lady  of  the  house  at  once  proffered 
me  some  tej,  which  I  had  to  decline  on  the  score  of 
already  having  done  ample  justice  to  the  wine  ;  but  on 
her  pressing  me  a  second  time,  I  accepted,  and,  after 
sipping,  passed  it  on  to  my  servant,  according  to 
custom.    As  she  was  telling  us  that  she  never  allowed 
her  husband  tej  before  the  evening,  he  entered,  and, 
with  true  politeness,  handed  us  more  tej.    "  Ah,"  re- 
marked his  wife,  "  he  knows  quite  well  that  you  won't 
drink  it,  and  that  he  will  thus  get  it  for  himself." 
Coffee  in  little  cups   without   handles   standing  in 
second  cups,  in  order  to  protect  the  fingers  from  the 
heat,    was  then    brought  to  us.     On   leaving,    our 
host  and  hostess  accompanied  us,  and,  according  to 
etiquette,  remained  with  us  until  requested  to  return. 
The  prison  was  our  next  attraction,  and  here  the 

custodian  refused  entrance  without  our  producing  a 

40 


A    State   Prison 

permit  from  the  Ras.  But  there  are  other  ways  of 
overcoming  such  denials,  and  very  soon  we  found 
ourselves  on  the  other  side  of  the  prison  walls, 
standing  |n  a  court-yard  around  which  the  cells  were 
built.  Coming  as  we  did  from  the  filthy  alleys,  I  was 
naturally  struck  by  the  wonderful  cleanliness  of  the 
place.  The  inmates  were  chained  at  the  ankle,  some- 
times two  together,  and,  with  few  exceptions,  seemed 
perfectly  contented  with  their  lot,  and  had  no  reason 
to  complain  of  lack  of  company.  Murderers  and 
deserters  were  mixed  up  indiscriminately  with  petty 
offenders,  regardless  of  their  nationality.  There 
were  some  who  told  us  the  history  of  their  crimes, 
whilst  others  professed  ignorance  of  the  cause  of 
their  punishment ;  but  then,  men  of  this  description 
can  be  found  in  any  prison.  It  looked  an  easy  job 
to  scale  the  walls  and  effect  an  escape,  but  their 
recapture  in  Abyssinia  would  be  almost  a  certainty, 
bringing  with  it  the  consequent  penalty,  so  attempts 
at  escape  are  infrequent. 

At  this  particular  time,  it  appeared  that  Ras 
Mangaschia,  of  the  province  of  Tigre  in  Northern 
Abyssinia,  who  is  the  natural  son  of  King  John,  had 
neglected  to  obey  the  mandates  of  King  Menelik. 
The  latter,  therefore,  after  ineffectual  attempts  by 
negotiation  to  bring  him  to  reason,  finally  warned 
him  that  the  continuance  of  such  disloyalty  would 
be  suppressed  by  force  ;  and,  acting  up  to  his  word, 
Menelik  thereupon  issued  orders  for  the  mobilization 
of  an  army  to  lead  into  Tigre.  Amongst  those  who 
were  summoned  was  Ras  Makonnen.  Now,  many  of 
his  troops  had  but  lately  returned  from  a  campaign 

41 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

against  the  Gallas,  and  some  of  the  leaders  and 
soldiers  were  much  averse  to  a  second  expedition 
following  so  soon  upon  the  other,  entailing  further 
separation  from  their  wives  and  neglect  of  their 
crops.  Matters  became  very  serious,  and  rumours 
were  afloat  that  several  of  the  leading  officers  had 


RAS  MAKOXNEN'S  SOLDIERS  WAITING  OUTSIDE  CAPTAIN  HARRINGTON'S 

TENT. 

been  imprisoned  for  refusing  to  obey  the  call,  and 
that,  in  order  to  secure  the  services  of  the  soldiers, 
it  was  announced  that  they  would  only  be  taken  as 
far  as  Adis  Ababa ;  and  a  proclamation  by  tomtom 
was  issued  to  the  effect  that  all  soldiers  refusing  to 
come  would  henceforth  never  be  allowed  to  serve 
in  the  army.  All  these  unexpected  troubles  on  the 

42 


Our  Departure 

eve  of  Ras  Makonnen's  departure  naturally  delayed 
him ;  and  as  he  had  expressed  a  desire  to  travel  to 
the  capital  in  company  with  Harrington,  the  latter 
could  not  act  otherwise  than  wait  till  his  difficulties 
were  settled  and  preparations  completed.  Finally, 
on  the  6th  of  October,  Harrington  and  I  started  from 
Harrar,  and  two  days  later  were  joined  by  Ras 
Makonnen,  with  a  following  of  several  thousands 
strong,  and  by  Monsieur  Lagarde.  To  judge  from  the 
number  of  soldiers  that  marched  out  of  Harrar,  I 
fancy  the  proclamation  had  had  the  desired  effect. 
Interesting  though  it  was  to  watch  the  customs  of 
so  many  Abyssinians  on  the  march,  still  we  paid 
the  penalty  for  our  curiosity  by  the  inconvenience 
we  experienced  along  the  road. 


43 


CHAPTER   V 

THE    ABYSSINIAN    SOLDIER 

HARRAR  and  its  dependencies  can  probably  put  a 
force  of  over  20,000  men  in  the  field.  This  is 
divided  into  regiments.  Sometimes  these  form 
separate  villages,  others  have  special  regimental 
names.  For  instance,  the  Abyssinians  speak  of  the 
Northerners,  though  all  composing  that  force  may 
not  necessarily  have  come  from  that  district — just  as 
sometimes  occurs  in  our  own  regiments.  There 
are  many  inducements  for  a  man  to  enlist.  This 
he  generally  does  at  festival  times,  and,  finding  the 
easy  life  of  a  soldier  suitable  to  his  tempera- 
ment, he  continues  to  serve.  Every  soldier,  more- 
over, stands  a  chance  of  becoming  an  officer.  At 
Adua  some  were  made  colonels  on  the  spot  for 
distinguished  service. 

The  Abyssinian  soldier  is  never  drilled,  and  his 
daily  duties  are  nil ;  he  generally  makes  himself 
known  by  his  loud  talk  and  swagger.  At  war  time 
(if  excursions  against  the  defenceless  Gallas  may  be 
classed  as  war),  all  the  loot,  I  was  told — with  the 
exception  of  a  tenth  portion,  which  goes  to  Govern- 
ment— is  divided  amongst  the  soldiers.  Only  the 

44 


Payment   and   Marksmanship 

officers  wear  uniform,  which  consists  of  coloured  silk 
shirts  and  shields,  embossed  with  gold  or  silver, 
according  to  the  rank.  Medals  are  awarded  by 
placing  bands  of  gold  round  the  sword  scabbard. 
Ras  Makonnen's  A.D.C.  possessed  a  scabbard  that 
was  completely  hidden  by  bands,  so  worthily  had  he 
fought.  On  being  called  out  for  service,  the  Abys- 
sinian soldier  merely  seizes  his  rifle  and  belt  from 
the  wall  of  his  hut,  and  he  is  ready  for  the  field. 
This  accounts  for  their  marvellous  speed  of  concen- 
tration, an  important  item  of  military  training  in 
which  they  can  give  us  many  points.  With  regard 
to  rations,  the  arrangements  are  simple,  and  in  this 
respect  far  and  away  ahead  of  us.  The  soldier 
merely  draws  something  like  80  Ibs.  of  grain  for  the 
entire  month,  a  good  deal  of  which  he  exchanges 
for  meat,  or  tej,  or  other  luxuries  he  may  fancy. 

As  to  their  shooting  powers,  the  Abyssinians  are 
not  even  acquainted  with  the  rudiments  of  aiming  or 
even  of  cleaning  the  rifle.  Yet  I  believe  the  Italians 
at  Adua  trained  efficiently  and  quickly  a  force  of 
10,000  Abyssinians,  whose  strength,  however,  was 
entirely  wasted  by  gross  mismanagement.  What 
their  actual  tactics  in  war  may  be  I  cannot  say,  yet 
the  soldiers  know  his  leader,  follow  him  in  any  loose 
formation,  and  fire  when  he  does.  To  my  idea,  and 
judging  from  the  recent  successes  of  the  Abyssinians, 
fights  and  battles  have  been  won  rather  by  mere 
force  of  numbers  than  by  skill  and  discipline.  When 
King  Menelik  called  for  volunteers  to  fight  against 
the  Italians,  I  am  told  some  200,000  responded,  and 
were  taken  to  the  battlefield,  whilst  hundreds  besides 

45 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

were  sent  back  because  there  were  neither  means  of 
feeding  them  nor  room  for  them  to  fight. 

There  is  no  general  commissariat  or  transport 
system,  each  soldier  being  followed  by  his  wife  and 
servants,  who  bring  his  food  along  on  a  donkey  ;  thus 
when  this  supply,  in  addition  to  the  resources  of  the 


MY   ABYSSrNIANS   DRAWN    UP   TO   RECEIVE   AN   ABYSSINIAN   GENERAL. 

district  in  the  immediate  sphere  of  operations,  is 
exhausted,  there  appears  to  be  no  means  whatever 
of  obtaining  more.  This  same  failing  equally  applies 
to  the  supply  of  ammunition  in  the  field.  Beyond 
the  cartridges  carried  in  the  soldier's  own  belt,  from 
thirty  to  forty  in  number,  there  seems  to  be  no  other 
source  of  supply,  or,  even  if  there  were,  no  means 

46 


The    Army   and   Patriotism 

of  supplying  more  in  action ;  probably  because 
the  soldier  hitherto  has  never  had  need  of  more 
than  those  he  actually  carries.  It  is  well  known 
that  after  the  battle  of  Adua,  the  soldiers  were 
almost  in  a  starving  condition,  and  could  not  have 
much  longer  withstood  the  strain  of  the  campaign. 

It  would  seem  indeed  that  the  Abyssinians 
possess  no  proper  organization  for  the  maintenance 
of  a  force  in  the  field  for  an  unlimited  length  of 
time,  even  within  the  boundaries  of  their  own 
frontier.  Their  recent  mastery  over  the  vast  extent 
of  territory  which  has  been  added  to  the  empire, 
has  been  acquired  in  an  unequal  contest  against 
packs  of  naked  savages,  whose  only  weapons  were 
the  spear  and  bow.  At  the  same  time,  these  con- 
quests are  the  rational  result  to  expect.  From  time 
immemorial  the  Abyssinians  have  lived  on  internal 
strife,  raids,  and  counter  raids,  and  now  suddenly 
finding  themselves  armed  with  European  rifles, 
they  have  quite  naturally  seized  the  opportunity  of 
paying  off  old  scores  and  of  subjugating  their  less 
fortunately  armed  neighbours. 

In  some  respects  the  Abyssinians  may  be  said 
to  be  patriotic,  yet  were  there  a  call  for  men  to  come 
forth  to  master  and  work  at  the  art  of  soldiering  for 
the  sake  of  their  country,  and  to  be  prepared  to 
fight  before  fighting  was  actually  required,  there 
would  probably  be  no  standing  army  at  all,  for  the 
Abyssinian  loves  a  life  of  liberty  unchecked  by  indis- 
putable orders  ;  besides,  to  prepare  for  battle  when 
no  immediate  battle  was  at  hand,  would  be  quite 
above  his  comprehension.  Many  might  be  induced 

47 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

to  undergo  a  course  of  training  did  their  officers  see 
the  necessity  of  being  more  energetic  and  tactful, 
instead  of  lazy  and  ignorant.  Of  course,  demands  for 
higher  pay  would  then  be  heard,  and  were  a  soldier 
smarting  under  some  imaginary  or  real  injustice,  he 
would  at  once  cry,  "  Enough  ;  I'm  off."  Without 
looking  so  far  away  as  Abyssinia,  we  may  note 
exactly  the  same  thing.  Manage  soldiers  or  volun- 
teers in  the  right  way  and  there  will  be  plenty 
forthcoming  ;  and  vice  versa. 

In  another  particular  the  Abyssinian  resembles 
our  own  countrymen,  for  these  same  individuals 
who  find  no  pleasure  in  serving  their  country 
during  peace  time,  would  in  an  instant,  at  the  call 
of  their  king,  combine  to  expel  an  invader. 
"Numbers!  Numbers!"  too,  would  be  their  cry. 
''In  numbers  we  are  safe.  What  can  skill  and 
discipline  avail  against  numbers  ? "  And  Adua 
shows  that  numbers  can  succeed. 


48 


CHAPTER  VI 

OUR    JOURNEY    TO    THE   CAPITAL 

Approaching  Adis  Ababa— M.  Lagarde's  camp— A  visit  to  the  French 
camp— We  pay  our  respects  to  the  Ras — Present  of  an  Italian 
horse — A  rich  but  wasted  country — "  Dergo  " — On  the  road  to 
the  capital — An  Abyssinian  encampment — An  adventurous 
Irishman  —A  storm  of  locusts. 

BUT  to  return  to  our  journey.  On  the  8th  of 
October  we  were  encamped  a  couple  of  marches  out 
of  Adis  Ababa,  at  a  place  called  Worabili,  in  a 
beautiful  grassy  depression,  with  pine-topped  hills 
on  every  side.  A  stream  of  clear  water  trickled 
over  this  green  expanse,  away  down  a  valley 
eastwards.  A  few  hundred  yards  north  of  us 
was  pitched  the  camp  of  Monsieur  Lagarde,  most 
of  whose  baggage,  strange  to  say,  was  carried 
on  Arab  camels,  in  preference  to  the  hardy  mules 
of  the  country,  who  are  far  more  at  home  over 
the  hills  and  stony,  muddy  crossings,  and  thrive 
more  vigorously  at  night-time,  when  the  tempera- 
ture falls  below  freezing-point.  It  was  a  wonder 
to  me  that  any  of  the  camels  ever  completed  the 
journey  at  all.  Those  that  did  succeed  certainly 
looked  as  if  they  had  gone  quite  as  far  as  was  good 
for  them.  Monsieur  Lagarde  himself,  who  sometimes 

49  E 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

bestrode  a  mule,  also  had  an  eye  to  comfort,  for  in 
lieu  of  wheeled  conveyances,  an  unknown  article  in 
this  country,  he  had  treated  himself  to  an  open  and 
closed  palanquin,  each  carried  by  two  mules,  one 
pulling  in  front,  and  the  other  pushing  from  behind. 
These  conveyances  are  all  very  well  over  the 
immense  plains  of  Northern  China,  but  with  con- 
tinually bumping  up  and  down  steep  stony  gradients, 
they  are  likely  to  come  to  grief.  I  admired  the  cool 
nerve  of  the  man  who  could  recline  with  such  ease 
on  the  very  brink  of  a  precipice. 

Monsieur  Lagarde's  camp  bore  quite  a  martial 
air,  for  his  Somalis  were  neatly  clad  in  white  uniform, 
and  every  morning  a  bugler  sounded  the  reveille,  or, 
I  should  more  correctly  say,  intended  to  sound  it,  for 
his  efforts  disclosed  that  either  he  or  his  instrument 
was  out  of  order.  His  object,  nevertheless,  was 
achieved,  since  the  French  camp  was  generally  first 
on  the  road.  Ras  Makonnen's  stockaded  camp  was 
built  on  much  higher  ground,  on  a  level  with  the 
pine  belt  ;  yet.  despite  the  fact  that  he  had  to  descend 
the  hill,  on  the  very  first  night  our  joint  camps  were 
pitched  he  paid  Harrington  a  quiet  friendly  visit, 
and  found  sympathy  for  the  fatigue  he  felt.  That 
day  he  had  risen  very  early,  before  commencing 
the  tedious  march,  to  settle  various  complaints  before 
leaving  Harrar. 

The  following  morning  we  all  marched  to 
Kalubi,  a  place  of  park-like  beauty,  and  halted  there 
for  one  day,  during  which  Harrington,  taking 
advantage  of  the  delay,  took  me  with  him  to  visit 
our  fellow  travellers.  Monsieur  Lagarde,  on  our 


The    French    Camp 

arrival  at  his  camp,  was  just  starting  for  a  gentle 
stroll  through  the  forest  of  cedar,  pine,  cotton,  and 
olive  trees  which  flourish  amid  luxuriant  growths 
of  lavender  and  roses.  He  was  followed  by  an 
armed  party  some  twenty  strong ;  but  on  observing 
Harrington,  heat  once  courteously  gave  up  his  walk, 
and,  leading  the  way  into  his  canvas  house,  bid  us 
welcome  to  his  hospitable  board. 


RESIDENCE   OF  M.    LAGARDE. 


Later  in  the  day  we  climbed  the  mountain-side 
to  another  dwelling  of  the  Ras.  This,  as  usual,  was 
built  within  a  strong  stockade  some  twenty  feet  high, 
with  an  eight-feet  rampart  of  solid  earth,  varying 
from  six  to  twelve  feet  thick,  surrounded  with  a  row 
of  stout  wooden  spikes  six  feet  high,  which  struck 
me  as  furnishing  rather  an  aid  than  an  obstacle  for 

51 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

intending  stormers.  There  were  stockades  and 
dwellings  within  stockades  ;  and  as  we  waited  in  one 
of  the  houses  whilst  word  was  being  taken  to  the 
Ras,  we  noted  the  fine  beams  ornamenting  the 
roof,  and  also  the  door,  which  was  made  from  one 
solid  piece  of  wood,  seven  to  eight  feet  high  and 
two  to  three  feet  broad.  We  found  the  Ras 
sitting  quite  alone  in  a  diminutive  circular  dwell- 
ing. Even  the  interior  of  the  stockade  bore  a 
deserted  look,  and  differed  from  all  the  rest,  for 
not  a  single  soldier  or  attendant  was  loitering  around. 
Our  host  was  seated  in  a  recess  on  a  raised  platform, 
the  only  furniture  of  the  room  being  some  carpets. 
The  walls  were  nicely  whitewashed  and  relieved  by 
two  tiny  windows.  It  was  the  cleanest  Abyssinian 
house  I  had  entered,  and  the  refreshment,  in  the 
shape  of  nine-year-old  tej,  was  the  finest  Abyssinian 
wine  I  had  tasted. 

That  same  afternoon  the  Ras  sent  to  Harring- 
ton's camp  a  couple  of  first-class  ponies  from 
which  to  select  the  one  most  suitable  for  himself. 
With  these  ponies  there  also  arrived  a  piece  of 
Italian  loot,  in  the  shape  of  a  war-horse,  which 
stood  a  little  over  fifteen  hands  high,  and  was 
altogether  too  big  a  mount  for  Abyssinian  taste. 
The  animal  appeared  to  be  much  larger  than  she 
was,  by  contrast  with  so  many  little  ponies,  the 
majority  of  which  run  to  13.1  and  13.2  hands  high. 
With  this  addition  to  the  stables,  we  were  tempted 
to  break  the  sabbath  and  indulge  in  an  exhibition 
of  tent-pegging,  etc.  With  the  exception  of  our 
display  at  Harrar.  the  Abyssinians  had  never 

52 


Neglected   Possibilities 

witnessed  any  sport  of  this  kind,  and  declared  that, 
after  all,  the  Ingliz  were  better  horsemen  than  the 
Shoans — Southern  Abyssinians  famous  for  their 
irregular  cavalry. 

I  will  not  here  attempt  to  describe  the  nature  of 
the  country  we  traversed  during  our  journey  to 
Adis  Ababa,  for  an  excellent  account  of  this  same 
route  may  be  found  in  Major  Count  Gleichen's 
most  interesting  book,  "  With  the  Mission  to 
Menelik,"  published  by  Arnold.  Suffice  it  to  say, 
there  were  two  salient  points  which  struck  me  as 
remarkable.  First,  the  immense  amount  of  fertile 
land  that  lay  uncultivated  and  undrained,  and  grow- 
ing nothing  but  vast  stretches  of  grass  six  or 
eight  feet  high,  destined  only  to  be  wasted  and 
burnt ;  second,  the  astonishing  absence  of  villages 
and  cattle.  The  conclusion  drawn  from  the  two 
observations  would  lead  one  to  believe  that  small 
inducement  had  been  offered  to  the  Gallas,  or  to 
the  Abyssinians  themselves,  either  to  cultivate  or  to 
breed,  and  that  the  advantages  of  commerce  have 
so  far  been  overlooked.  Whenever  Harrington's 
camp  was  pitched  at  nightfall  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  villages,  it  was  curious  to  see  strings  of  ill-fed, 
half-naked  villagers  bringing  in  supplies  for  all  his 
followers,  whether  he  required  them  or  not.  But 
such  is  the  custom  of  the  country.  These  poor 
Gallas  are  bound  to  supply  any  traveller  of  im- 
portance passing  through  their  villages,  and  by 
doing  so  are  exempt  from  certain  taxes.  This 
custom  is  known  under  the  name  of  "  dergo."  It 
always  struck  me  that  these  hungry-looking  beings 

53 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

were  far  more  in  need  of  dergo  than  we  were ; 
and  my  opinion  was  evidently  shared  by  Harrington, 
who  never  permitted  a  dergo  subject  to  depart 
without  his  receiving  an  equivalent  in  money  for 
his  supply. 

Throughout  the  journey  many  of  the  camping- 
grounds    had     magnificent     sites  ;     sometimes     our 


M.    LAGARDE  AND   HIS   DOOLIES   CROSSING   THE   BRIDGE   OVER    THE 
H AWASH   RIVER. 


three  camps  were  nearly  a  mile  apart.  After 
dark,  the  army  of  the  Ras,  resting  and  encamped 
on  the  grassy  slopes  of  the  side  of  a  pine-clad  hill, 
would,  from  the  distance,  strongly  resemble  a  busy 
little  town  at  night,  when  only  the  many  fires  and 
lights  flickering  in  every  direction  could  be  seen, 
and  a  subdued  murmur  of  many  voices  would  reach 

54 


Marching   Discomforts 

us  with  the  wind.  Everybody  was  astir  again 
before  daybreak,  and  as  we  moved  off,  we  occasion- 
ally found  ourselves  unpleasantly  placed  in  the  very 
midst  of  the  army.  Here,  along  the  single  road, 
every  one  strove  for  him  or  herself,  some  mounted 
on  mules  or  ponies,  others  walking,  all  armed  with 
guns,  sticks,  swords,  and  tent-poles.  Then  there 
were  hosts  of  mules,  ponies,  and  donkeys  laden  with 
flour,  driven  along  by  the  soldiers'  wives  and  servants, 
and  boys  carrying  their  masters'  shields  or  guns. 
There  were  many  women  with  burdens  of  flour, 
followed  by  a  brood  of  youngsters.  The  white- 
turbaned  priests  generally  rode,  followed  perhaps  by 
herds  of  living  beef  and  mutton  with  their  drovers. 
Then  would  follow  some  chief  with  his  mounted 
attendants.  In  fact,  the  struggling  stream  of 
thousands  upon  thousands  of  human  beings  seemed 
endless. 

When  the  level  road  changed,  and  a  very 
steep  winding  pathway  would  ascend  a  stony  and 
rocky  hill,  then  began  a  veritable  babel  of  shouting, 
hustling,  and  jostling — one  and  all  for  himself.  As 
we  endeavoured  to  ride  along  quietly,  a  mule  would 
suddenly  stop  in  front  of  us,  or  another,  coming 
from  behind  like  an  express,  would  almost  knock 
one  of  us  out  of  the  saddle.  At  the  same  time  that 
one  tried  to  recover,  an  undeserved  prod  or  blow 
from  a  stick  or  tent-pole  would  still  further  add  excite- 
ment to  the  ride.  One  pair  of  eyes  afforded  us  very 
indifferent  warning  in  such  a  mixed  crowd.  We 
were  constantly  changing  our  place,  and  our  baggage- 
mules  became  scattered  and  split  up  into  twos  and 

55 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

threes  along  the  road.  When  the  going  was  good 
comparative  silence  and  order  reigned,  yet  all  swept 
along,  each  caring  for  no  one  beyond  himself,  bent 
only  upon  reaching  the  next  camping-ground.  Occa- 
sionally, towards  the  end  of  a  long  march,  some  would 
seek  rest  under  the  shade  of  a  tree  by  the  roadside, 
or  a  dead  mule  would  testify  to  the  extent  of  its 
exertions.  One  of  the  most  noticeable  features 
along  the  road  were  the  Ras's  tej  brewers,  a  string 
of  young  ladies  carrying  on  their  backs  large 
gombos  of  the  precious  fluid,  fermenting  like  them- 
selves as  they  struggled  along  in  the  hot  sun. 
These  fair  porters  could  be  spotted  from  a  con- 
siderable distance,  as  the  highly  prized  burdens 
were  wrapped  in  red  cloth.  This  valuable  porterage 
was  protected  from  thirsty  souls  by  a  number  of 
soldiers,  and  the  overseers  of  the  brewery,  riding  on 
their  mules,  were  also  present  to  guard  the  liquid. 
We  inquired  of  one  of  the  ladies,  "  Where  are  you 
going  to  ?  "  "  Oh,"  she  replied  ;  "  that  I  don't  know  : 
all  I  know  is  that  I  have  to  carry  my  gombo  to  the 
next  camp." 

On  looking  down  from  a  height  upon  the  camp 
of  the  Ras  with  its  thousands  of  souls,  one  would  at 
first  sight  have  declared  that  all  the  tents  had  been 
pitched  in  a  haphazard  way ;  but  such  in  reality  is 
not  the  case.  The  Ras's  tent  is  the  first  to  be 
pitched,  and  is  so  placed  that  the  door  of  it  will 
face  the  direction  of  the  morrow's  march ;  then  the 
chief  officer  will  place  his  tent  to  the  right  front  of 
this  door,  and  the  next  in  rank  on  the  left  front,  till 
eventually  a  complete  circle  of  tents  is  formed 

56 


Casual    Grazing   Customs 

round  that  of  the  Ras.  Then  the  followers  of  these 
officers  will  form  a  circle  of  tents  round  each  of  those 
of  their  chiefs,  and  so  on  ad  infinitum,  circles  within 
and  circles  without  circles.  So  capably  is  this  method 
carried  out  that  each  location  of  each  tent  is  known, 
and  that  despite  the  fact  that  the  irregularities  of 
the  ground  often  necessitate  the  formation  of  very 
imperfect  circles.  Many  of  the  soldiers  who  are 
unprovided  with  tents  rig  up  in  a  very  few  minutes 
a  shelter,  by  making  sheaves  from  the  high  grass. 

The  most  remarkable  piece  of  happy-go-lucky 
management  is  the  grazing  of  the  animals,  which 
appear  to  roam  anywhere  of  their  own  free  will, 
yet  at  sunset  all  flock  to  their  owners'  tents,  having, 
doubtless,  thoroughly  mastered  the  intricacies  of 
circles  within  and  circles  without  circles.  Sometimes 
it  happens  that  an  owner  finds  at  nightfall  that  one 
of  his  animals  is  missing,  whereupon  he  will  go  the 
round  of  the  tents,  crying  aloud,  "  For  the  love  of 
God,  has  any  one  seen  a  black  mule  or  a  white 
donkey  ?  "  (as  the  case  may  be).  "  Tell  me,  for  God's 
sake." 

After  a  few  days  of  joint  camps,  we  had  learnt 
quite  as  much  as  we  wanted  to  know  of  the  mys- 
teries of  an  Abyssinian  host  on  the  march,  and 
resolved  in  consequence  to  push  on  ahead  of  the 
Ras.  Accordingly,  Harrington  having  duly  sent  him 
word  to  this  effect,  we  set  out  on  Sunday  morning, 
the  1 6th  of  October,  having  had  our  slumbers 
broken  long  before  sunrise  by  the  commencement 
of  the  Church  service. 

At  this  period  we  were  joined  by  an  adventurous 

57 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

Irishman  named  McKelvey,  who  has  lived  in 
Abyssinia  for  the  last  forty  years,  during  which 
time  he  has  become  quite  naturalized.  He  was 
formerly  bodyguard  to  King  John,  and  was  one  of 
the  English  prisoners  held  by  King  Theodore  at 
Magdala.  He  dresses  as  an  Abyssinian,  wearing 
short  trousers,  tight  in  the  leg  and  baggy  in  the 
seat,  a  shamma,  and  no  shoes  or  hat.  He  feeds, 
too,  as  a  native,  and  has  married  an  Abyssinian 
lady.  Nevertheless,  he  still  has  a  tender  corner  in 
his  heart  for  his  old  country. 

One  day  we  encountered  a  blinding  storm  of 
locusts.  These  pests  measured  from  two  to  three 
inches  long,  and  their  bodies  were  of  a  red  colour 
with  speckled  wings.  From  a  distance  they  re- 
sembled a  mist  hanging  over  the  land,  and  at  first 
came  upon  us  like  wind-driven  snow ;  then  thicker 
and  thicker  they  came,  till  everything  was  locusts,  the 
air  and  the  earth  too.  There  chanced  to  be  a  village 
close  by,  and  the  people  could  be  seen  busily 
engaged  in  lighting  fires  to  smoke  the  intruders  away 
from  their  little  piece  of  cultivation. 

Along  some  portions  of  the  road,  even  at  this, 
the  dry  season,  we  found  several  places  muddy  and 
difficult  to  cross,  which  made  one  reflect  how  im- 
possible it  would  be  ever  to  extricate  one's  self 
from  this  mud  during  the  rainy  season.  The  land, 
however,  could  undoubtedly  be  easily  drained,  and 
decent  roads  very  quickly  made. 


CHAPTER   VII 

WE    REACH    ADIS    ABABA 

A  drunken  official — The  H  awash  river — A  sporting  excursion — A 
fatal  pass — Balchi — Harrington's  narrow  escape — A  letter  from 
the  capital — Entry  to  Adis  Ababa. 

AT  a  place  called  Laga-Hardim,  which  -may  be 
considered  the  boundary  between  Ras  Makonnen's 
and  Ras  Darghe's  country,  the  '  Shum,'  or  civil 
officer  of  the  district,  whose  name  was  Banti,  not 
only  showed  his  partiality  for  Englishmen  by  sup- 
plying an  extraordinary  amount  of  dergo,  but  also 
by  putting  in  an  appearance  himself — albeit  in  a  very 
festive  condition.  As  further  evidence  of  friendship, 
he  determined  to  sleep  in  our  camp  ;  but  Harring- 
ton persuaded  him  to  deny  himself  that  pleasure. 
This  remarkable  man  is  notorious  for  his  convivi- 
ality ;  yet  he  possesses  more  than  the  average 
influence  over  the  people  of  his  district,  and  is 
very  fairly  popular. 

To  me  one  of  the  most  interesting  bits  of  the 
journey  was  crossing  the  river  Hawash,  because,  in 
order  to  do  this,  the  road  takes  a  very  circuitous 
route.  It  is  said  that,  owing  to  the  steep  nature  of 
the  banks,  a  crossing  at  any  other  spot  is  impracti- 
cable, yet  it  would  appear  that  no  steps  have  been 

59 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

taken  to  ascertain  the  real  truth  of  this.  It  is  a 
piece  of  country  well  worth  exploring.  The  Hawash 
here  drains  the  land  east  and  west.  On  either  hand 
extends  a  waterless  stretch  of  several  miles,  making 
it  probable  that  abundance  of  game  would  come  to 
the  river's  edge  to  drink.  During  a  short  excursion 


VILLAGERS   BRINGING   SUPPLIES. 


I  undertook,  I  found  fresh  tracks  both  of  big  and 
small  koodoo,  oryx,  and  elephants,  and,  from  native 
information,  I  gathered  that  elephants  are  found  still 
further  north  of  the  main  road,  in  a  district  called 
Filwa,  as  well  as  at  Asabot.  As  most  of  the 
tracks  headed  in  that  direction,  there  is  every 
likelihood  of  the  statement  being  correct.  When 
encamped  on  the  banks  of  the  river  close  to  the 

60 


Unsuccessful    Fishing 

bridge  (a  piece  of  engineering  that  will  not  defy  the 
storms  and  rains  for  ever),  we  launched  Harrington's 
canvas  boat  to  try  our  luck  at  fishing,  but  could  only 
tempt  a  single  fish  called  "ambazza,"  which  proved 
to  be  boneless  and  soft  eating.  They  are  said  to 
run  to  great  weight.  The  most  satisfactory  method 
of  exploring  the  river  would  be  to  construct  a  stout 
though  light  raft,  which  could  be  lifted  out  of  the 
water  and  carried  over  unsuitable  places.  A  river 
always  has  a  fascination  for  me,  and  creates  a  desire 
to  spy  round  its  next  bend  to  seek  out  its  source 
and  its  course,  an  occupation  that  rivets  my  atten- 
tion and  sends  all  else  into  oblivion,  in  the  same 
way  that  a  range  of  hills  draws  me  to  their  summit 
to  view  the  unknown  land  beyond. 

After  leaving  the  Hawash,  we  crossed  a  low 
pass  at  night-time.  The  pathway  ran  between  steep 
volcanic  rocks,  rising  abruptly  on  either  hand, 
which  at  one  moment  entirely  obscured  the  light  of 
the  moon,  and  at  another  displayed  a  weird-looking 
spot,  suggesting  to  one's  mind  how  suitable  it  was 
for  the  execution  of  foul  play.  Some  eight  or  nine 
years  ago  it  happened  that  the  Abyssinian  chief 
Aberjambry  met  his  death  in  this  very  pass  at  the 
hands  of  the  Gallas,  who  afterwards  cast  stones 
from  above  on  the  dead  body  as  it  lay  in  the  valley 
below.  Hence  the  name  of  the  pass,  Aberjambry. 

Forty  miles  before  reaching  Adis  Ababa,  we 
came  to  the  important  post  of  Balchi,  where  the 
telephone  communicates  both  with  Harrar  and  the 
capital — that  is  to  say,  whenever  it  happens  to  be  in 
working  order  ;  but  during  my  stay  at  Adis  Ababa, 

61 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

the  chances  were  always  against  getting  a  message 
through.      In    order   to    reach    Balchi,    one    has    to 
ascend  a  steep,  narrow,  stony  pathway,  which,  starting 
from    the   market    town  of   Godoburka,    skirts    the 
side  of  the  hill,  in  such  a  fashion  that  a  slip  on  the 
wrong  side  of  the  track  would  undoubtedly  be  fatal. 
Harrington  was  riding  leisurely  up  this  road  in  front, 
whilst  I  was  walking  a  couple  of  hundred  yards  in 
the  rear,  when  quite  suddenly,  without  any  warning 
whatever,  his  powerful  mule  whisked  round  and  set 
off  at   a  full  gallop  downhill.     There  was    but   an 
instant  for   considering   the    best   course    to   take. 
Had  I  stood  in  the  middle  of  the  track,  the   mule 
might   have  dodged    me   on    the   wrong  side,  and 
vanished  with  its  rider  down    below,  or    it   might 
have  gone  straight  at  me  with   equally   disastrous 
results.  As  it  was,  I  planted  myself  on  the  outer  edge, 
with  the  intention  of  keeping  the  mule  on  the  inside. 
The   pace   was  terrific,   and  how  the    animal    ever 
managed  to  keep  its  footing  over  the  loose  stones 
and   rocks,  or  to  negotiate  the  corners,  was  really 
marvellous.      In  this  lively  fashion    the  rider  sped 
on  his   return  journey    for   another   two    or    three 
hundred  yards  before  he  could  bring  the  brute  to  a 
standstill.    It  was  indeed  fortunate  that  the  baggage- 
animals  were  well  in  rear,  otherwise  a  very  serious 
mishap  must  have  occurred.     As  a  spectator  of  the 
whole  scene,  I   can  confidently  recommend  a  gallop 
down  the  Balchi  hill  on  a  runaway  mule  to  anybody 
suffering  from  a  sluggish  liver.     The  cause  of  the 
scare  was  merely  a  bundle  of  grass  which  was  being 
carried  on  a   man's  head.     The   man   was   himself 

62 


Mr.    Wakeman's   Sleep 

hidden  by  the  protruding  rock,  his  load  only  being 
visible,  and  the  sight  of  a  bundle  of  grass  sailing 
gaily  downhill  to  market,  apparently  of  its  own 
accord,  was  altogether  too  much  for  the  nerves  of 
the  mule.  "It  must  be  the  devil  himself!"  he 
cried  ;  and  with  this  notion  fixed  in  his  head,  fled 
accordingly. 

Although  we  were  now  but  a  small  party  on 
the  road,  namely,  Harrington,  Beru,  Wakeman, 
McKelvey,  and  myself,  we  nevertheless  enjoyed  our 
little  jokes.  Mr.  Wakeman,  though  an  excellent 
doctor,  detested  privations  and  early  rising.  "  What 
time  do  we  start  to-morrow  morning,  sir  ?  "  he  would 
ask  of  Harrington.  ''Two  a.m.,"  was  the  reply; 
and  Mr.  Wakeman's  jaw  would  fall  accordingly, 
and  his  face  wear  a  distressed  look.  Nevertheless, 
in  order  to  make  the  most  of  the  remaining  time, 
he  would  leave  his  two  companions  when  only 
halfway  through  their  dinner  (no  small  loss  on  a 
cold  night),  and,  without  taking  off  his  heavy 
walking-boots,  lie  down  to  rest,  wrapped  in  his  thick 
overcoat,  considering  that  any  time  which  might  be 
devoted  to  sleep  should  not  be  unnecessarily  wasted 
either  in  eating  or  in  dressing.  The  sun  had  risen 
the  following  morning  when  we  approached  the 
doctor's  tent  to  wish  him  "  Good  morning,"  and 
inquire  whether  he  required  any  breakfast ;  at  the 
same  time  pretending  utter  astonishment  at  dis- 
covering he  had  never  been  to  bed  at  all,  for 
we  all  knew  that  sleeping  in  this  fashion  was  the 
doctor's  greatest  horror  next  to  early  rising.  After 
all,  he  was  repaid  for  the  loss  of  his  dinners  and 

63 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

uncomfortable  slumbers,  for  he  enjoyed  the  fun  as 
much  as  the  rest  of  us. 

On  Monday,  the  24th  of  October,  a  messenger 
arrived  from  Adis  Ababa.  He  brought  a  letter 
from  M.  Ilg,  Conseiller  d'Etat,  informing  Har- 
rington that,  in  accordance  with  his  wishes,  his 
reception  at  the  capital  would  in  no  way  be  made 
official,  and  at  the  same  time  inviting  us  to  break- 
fast. At  dawn  the  next  day,  accompanied  by  the 
four  sowars,  we  started  ahead  of  the  baggage,  pre- 
ferring to  walk  the  first  mile  or  so,  for,  despite  our 
heavy  overcoats,  we  were  extremely  cold. 


64 


McLp  showing  the  route  of 

CAPT.  M.S.WELLBY 

from 


ADDIS  ABEBA  TOTHE   SOBAT  RIVER 


1899 
Scale  of  Miles 


30         +O        6O        80       100 

Route  

Heights  in  feet 


COMBO  ARUSI    • 


TUKI   ARUS       _^_ 

I6"8 TV  L.La.mina. 

KAMBATAfA^ 
WALAMbi    I 


A  HE  RUDOLF 

o 
(Ca.l!op  or  Buzz) 


CHAPTER   VIII 

AT  THE  COURT  OF  THE  NEGUS 

First  impressions  of  the  capital — The  king's  palace — Reception  by 
M.  and  Madame  Ilg — The  payment  of  muleteers — The  foreign 
Residencies — Dinner  with  the  Italian  Resident — A  summons 
from  the  palace — The  Emperor  of  Ethiopia — An  audience 
of  the  Negus — Menelik's  departure  for  Tigre — We  follow — 
The  great  camp  of  the  Negus — Menelik's  breakfast-party — The 
Queen  of  England's  phonographic  message  to  the  Negus — The 
king's  procession — Menelik's  camp,  ist  of  November,  1898 — An 
Abyssinian  Aldershot — Diagrams  of  camp. 

As  we  draw  nearer  to  the  capital,  we  met  many 
people  coming  and  going.  Soon  we  were  in  the 
midst  of  little  round  huts  with  their  compounds  pro- 
tected by  low  mud  walls,  dotted  here,  there,  and 
everywhere,  but  all  alike.  In  the  very  centre  of  the 
whole  scene,  and  completely  occupying  a  separate 
hill,  stood  the  king's  red-tiled  palace,  surrounded 
by  a  plantation  of  sycamore  trees.  On  all  sides  we 
saw  extraordinary  numbers  of  mules,  ponies,  and 
donkeys  grazing  on  the  excellent  pasturage,  and  in 
the  most  suitable  spots  villages  of  canvas  had  been 
pitched,  all  indicative  of  the  king's  impending  march 
into  Tigre. 

As  soon  as  we  had  reached  the  heart  of  Adis 
Ababa,    we    were    met   and    warmly    received    by 

65  F 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

M.  Ilg,  who  straightway  led  the  way  to  his  own 
house,  where  his  charming  wife  gave  us  a  hearty 
welcome.  Our  stay  was  of  necessity  short  and 
sweet,  for  Harrington  at  present  had  no  house  of 
his  own,  and  he  had  consequently  much  work  to 
accomplish  in  superintending  the  formation  of  a 
temporary  camp. 

On  reaching  our  tents,  I  felt  with  satisfaction 
that  the  first  stage  of  my  travels  had  been  suc- 
cessfully accomplished.  We  had  taken  nearly 
three  weeks  on  our  journey  from  Harrar  to  Adis 
Ababa,  a  distance  of  270  miles.  For  each  of  my 
baggage-mules  I  had  paid  about  50  dollars  (^5 
or  thereabouts) — a  high  price.  The  pay  of  my 
head  muleteer  was  15  dollars  a  month,  that  of  the 
others  10  dollars,  and  of  a  boy  muleteer  5  dollars. 
Each  muleteer  also  received  2  dollars. a  month  for 
food.  My  advice  to  intending  travellers  is  to 
engage  boys,  who  do  exactly  the  same  work  as  men. 
It  is  a  curious  fact  that  most  of  the  so-called  boys 
are  men,  whilst  many  of  the  men  are  boys.  It  is 
advisable  and  more  satisfactory  for  all  parties  that  a 
fixed  rate  should  be  agreed  upon.  At  the  present 
day,  every  foreigner — French,  Russian,  Italian,  and 
English — pays  according  to  his  fancy  ;  but  whatever 
the  pay  may  be,  there  are  always  plenty  of  men 
forthcoming.  This  rate  of  pay  for  the  journey  is 
considerably  lessened  if  the  expedition  is  to  remain 
at  Adis  Ababa. 

Harrington's  camp  was  pleasantlyenough  situated 
in  a  fashionable  quarter  of  the  capital,  on  a  stretch 
of  excellent  turf,  used  as  the  grazing  land  of 

66 


The   Russian    Representative 

numberless  baggage-animals  belonging  to  soldiers 
bound  for  Tigre.  The  site  was  well -fitted  for  a 
cricket  or  polo  ground.  Close  by  was  Ras  Makon- 
nen's  own  important-looking  dwelling  ;  and  north  of 
the  camp,  at  the  foot  of  the  hills,  lay  the  Residence 
of  M.  Lagarde,  famous  for  the  cage-like  stock- 


RUSSIAN    RESIDENCE  AT  ADIS   ABABA,  SHOWING   M.  LAGARDE   AM) 
M.  AND   MADAME  VLASSOF. 


ades  built  around  it  in  such  a  way  as  not  only  to 
shut  out  most  effectively  hyaena  and  jackal,  but 
also  most  of  the  sun's  life-giving  rays.  Further 
east  is  situated  the  Russian  Residency,  occupied 
by  Monsieur  and  Madame  Vlassof — a  whitewashed 
and  suitable  house,  commanding  cheery  views 
of  all  the  neighbouring  country.  At  the  other 

67 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

end  of  Adis  Ababa  stood  the  Italian  Residency 
of  Captain  Ciccodicola.  There  was  nothing  re- 
markable about  this  dwelling  from  the  outside.  It 
was  merely  a  somewhat  pretentious  Abyssinian 
house  in  a  lonely  situation.  This  drawback,  how- 
ever, was  counteracted  by  the  cheery  reception 


KING  MENELIK'S  PALACE. 

always  to  be  found  inside.  Our  first  night  at  the 
capital  we  dined  with  the  Italian  representative; 
but,  despite  the  good  fare,  we  were  compelled  to 
don  our  overcoats  for  protection  against  the  cold. 

That  same  evening  a  message  arrived  from 
the  king  expressing  a  desire  to  see  Harrington 
at  the  palace  at  8.30  the  next  morning,  when  I 
was  to  have  the  honour  of  being  introduced. 

68 


The   Emperor   Menelik 

I  felt  very  foolish  donning  evening  clothes  and  a 
felt  hat  at  7  a.m.,  and  must  have  cut  a  very 
ridiculous  figure  riding  a  mule  through  the  busy 
parts  of  the  city  en  route  to  the  palace  in  these  gar- 
ments ;  but  as  the  Abyssinians  saw  nothing  laughable 
about  me,  it  did  not  matter  much.  On  entering  the 
outer  stockade  of  the  palace,  we  crossed  an  untidy, 
rough,  stony  court,  where  a  large,  square-looking 
building  was  in  process  of  construction.  On  the 
other  side  of  this  we  were  met  by  M.  Ilg,  who  con- 
ducted us  up  a  flight  of  stone  stairs  into  the  presence 
of  His  Imperial  Majesty  King  Menelik  II., 
G.C.M.G.,  Emperor  of  Ethiopia,  Negus  Negasti, 
King  of  Kings. 

Having  been  introduced  by  Harrington,  and 
shaken  hands  with  the  monarch,  I  retired  a  few 
paces,  but  only  to  advance  again  very  shortly, 
and,  after  a  second  hand-shake,  to  depart.  Such  a 
brief  meeting  scarcely  allowed  me  to  form  a  fair 
judgment  of  the  king.  Seated  as  he  was  when  we 
entered,  I  should  have  taken  him  to  be  quite  a  small 
man,  whereas  he  stands  five  feet  ten  inches  high. 
Though  by  no  means  handsome,  there  is  yet  a  very 
taking  and  frank  look  about  his  features,  or  perhaps 
I  should  more  correctly  say  an  open  look.  Shahzad 
Mir  summed  his  appearance  up  in  these  words : 
"  I  saw  a  very  little  man  and  a  very  big  mouth." 

The  following  morning  it  was  announced  that 
the  king,  who  is  styled  Janhoi,  intended  starting  that 
same  day  for  the  province  of  Tigre  ;  and  as  we  were 
not  quite  prepared  to  leave  so  suddenly,  we  agreed, 
at  any  rate,  to  see  him  off  for  the  wars,  and  follow 

69 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

on  as  soon  as  we  conveniently  could.  Contrary  to 
my  expectation,  his  departure  from  the  palace  was 
entirely  without  ceremony,  and,  considering  the 
importance  of  the  occasion,  there  were  but  few 
people  about.  The  king  was  evidently  bent  on 
getting  away  as  quietly  as  possible,  for  on  leaving 
the  palace,  instead  of  coming  boldly  forward  into 
the  open  as  he  might  have  done,  he  kept  close  by 
the  stockade.  He  was  preceded  by  a  motley  crowd 
of  soldiers,  both  mounted  and  on  foot.  A  similar 
force  followed  in  his  rear,  some  leading  his  extra 
ponies,  gaily  decorated  with  red  cloth  and  silver- 
coloured  trappings.  We  rode  alongside  of  the  king 
for  some  short  distance  through  a  struggling  mob, 
through  which  men  with  long  canes  forcibly  made  a 
lane  for  us.  We  were  able  to  go  at  a  sufficient 
pace  to  compel  those  on  foot  to  break  into  a  double. 
The  scene  was  a  remarkable  one ;  everybody 
seemed  to  be  in  somebody  else's  way,  and  one  and 
all  shouted,  wrangled,  argued,  and  pushed.  Away 
on  the  outskirts  of  the  moving  crowds  stood  a  line 
of  beggars  calling  loudly  on  their  king,  "  Janhoi ! 
Janhoi !  Janhoi !  "  My  curiosity  was  soon  satisfied, 
and  I  was  glad  when  Harrington  gave  the  signal 
to  bid  adieu  to  Menelik  and  turn  our  horses'  heads 
homewards. 

Two  days  later  we  were  following  in  the  king's 
steps.  There  was  no  mistaking  the  road,  which 
took  us  over  the  hills  in  a  north-east  direction,  for 
numbers  of  soldiers  and  their  servants  were  flocking 
to  the  same  point ;  whilst  a  few  who  had  accom- 
panied the  king  might  be  seen  returning  for  the 

70 


On    the    March    again 

purpose  of  taking  the  more  direct  though  rougher 
road,  and  rejoining  him  later  at  Barumeida.  As  we 
proceeded  at  our  leisure,  we  noticed  there  were  two 


AT  ADIS  ABABA  :   ST.   GEORGE  S   CHURCH. 

routes,    an    upper   and   a   lower    one,    both   clearly 
indicated  by  the  continuous  throng  of  people  moving 


along  them. 

O  • 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

Early  in  the  afternoon  we  sighted  the  mighty 
camp  of  Janhoi  and  his  followers.  At  first 
glimpse  it  looked  as  though  snow  had  fallen  on  the 
plains  and  hillsides.  On  closer  approach  the  snow 
proved  to  be  an  enormous  collection  of  tents,  which 
so  bewildered  us,  that  we  despaired  of  ever  finding 
the  space  allotted  to  us  for  our  camp.  Fortunately, 
M.  Ilg  kindly  met  us,  and  conducted  us  to  a  camping- 
ground  close  to  the  tents  of  Janhoi  himself.  As  the 
day  advanced  more  soldiers  continued  to  pour  into 
camp,  and  more  tents  sprang  up  in  every  direction. 

The  following  day  being  Sunday  was  duly 
observed,  for  the  army  remained  halted,  and  we 
had  the  honour  of  breakfasting  with  Janhoi  himself 
at  10  a.m.  As  might  be  expected,  there  were 
crowds  of  attendants  around  and  about  the  king's 
tents.  We  passed  under  an  awning,  and  then 
entered  a  very  fine  circular  tent,  where  we  found 
the  king  seated  on  a  low,  cushioned  sofa  orna- 
mented with  two  wings  or  arm-rests.  Placed  in 
front  of  him  was  a  large  decorated  basket,  holding 
a  pile  of  thin  round  pieces  of  bread,  called  in- 
jerras,  of  which  he  occasionally  ate.  In  front 
of  this  was  a  long  row  of  baskets  covered  with 
cloth,  holding  bread  and  little  dishes  of  spices. 
On  either  side,  seated  on  the  ground,  were  the 
governors  of  the  provinces,  the  generals,  and 
other  grandees.  Amidst  this  select  company  stood 
attendants,  dangling  before  their  noses  yards  of 
raw,  quivering  meat,  which  had  been  stripped  off 
from  the  animals  the  moment  after  their  throats  had 
been  slit.  From  these  appetizing  joints,  the  guests 

72 


An    Abyssinian   Banquet 

themselves,  armed  with  long  thin  knives,  cut  off 
pieces,  each  according  to  his  taste,  which  they 
forthwith  proceeded  to  devour  with  great  gusto. 
By  the  side  of  each  guest  stood  a  decanter  of  tej, 
which  was  always  refilled  as  soon  as  emptied. 

I  was  surprised  at  the  silence  which  pervaded 
the  gathering.  Occasionally  Janhoi  would  make  a 
remark ;  otherwise  there  was  very  little  talking, 
all  being  bent  on  eating  and  drinking,  an  operation 
over  which  they  in  no  way  hurried  themselves. 
This  semi-barbarous  feast,  strange  to  say,  was 
brought  to  a  most  unexpected  and  incongruous 
end,  for  glasses  were  handed  round  and  then  filled 
with  champagne  and  emptied  with  evident  gusto. 
I  was  glad  to  find  this  little  touch  of  the  civilized 
world  so  congenial  to  their  tastes  ;  and  I  thought 
to  myself  that  it  was  indeed  civilization  washing 
away  barbarism.  When  the  king  himself  was 
about  to  drink,  his  own  personal  attendant  would 
pour  a  few  drops  into  the  palm  of  his  own  hand 
to  taste,  before  pouring  out  for  the  king.  Other 
attendants  then  hid  him  from  view  of  the  "  evil- 
eye  "  by  spreading  out  their  shammas  in  front. 
Yet  it  would  seem  that  this  custom  is  gradually 
falling  into  disuse,  for  the  king  drank  his  coffee 
openly  like  a  European. 

Besides  the  distinguished  guests  who  were  break- 
fasting, other  officials  of  importance  stood  in  groups 
near  or  about  the  king.  Nobody  smoked,  for  as 
yet  the  Abyssinians  have  not  learnt  the  pleasure 
and  benefit  to  be  derived  from  this  sociable  practice. 
The  absence  of  the  habit  is  due  to  the  edict  of  King 

73 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

John,  who  absolutely  forbade  smoking-.  Menelik, 
however,  neither  forbids  nor  encourages  it,  and  one 
will  occasionally  meet  an  Abyssinian  who  appreciates 
tobacco.  Before  very  long  smoking  will  probably 
be  fashionable. 

As  for  M.  Ilg,  Captain  Ciccodicola,  Captain 
Harrington,  and  myself,  we  sat  at  a  long,  narrow 
table  at  right  angles  to  the  king,  and  were  amply  and 
properly  regaled,  for  besides  prodigious  piles  of  in- 
jerras  and  dabo  (thick  bread),  we  partook  of  excellent 
soup,  omelettes,  and  endless  courses  of  meat  prepared 
in  various  ways.  It  was  perhaps  for  this  reason  that 
we  declined  the  last  item  on  the  menu — a  lump  of 
raw,  quivering  meat — although  it  was  an  offer  from 
Janhoi  himself.  My  little  terrier,  Lady,  attracted 
the  royal  attention,  for  the  king  is  fond  of  dogs  ;  but 
I  regret  to  say  she  behaved  very  badly,  for  in  spite 
of  much  coaxing  on  the  part  of  our  host,  she  would 
only  look  round  at  me,  imploring  to  be  taken  away. 
Whilst  we  were  enjoying  our  coffee  and  champagne, 
M.  Lagarde  put  in  an  appearance  at  the  party. 

As  the  day  advanced  the  tent  grew  proportion- 
ately hot  and  stuffy,  so  that,  after  the  remnants  of 
the  food  had  been  taken  away,  it  was  with  a  great 
feeling  of  relief  that  we  suddenly  found  a  large 
portion  of  the  canvas  removed,  admitting  a  flow  of 
fresh  air,  and  disclosing  many  more  baskets  of 
injerras  placed  here  and  there  upon  the  ground. 
At  the  same  moment  a  blast  from  a  long  wooden 
instrument  summoned  the  various  commanders  to 
draw  near  and  be  fed,  and  in  response  each 
approached  in  order  of  rank.  Some  of  the  seniors 

74 


Raw  Meat 

were  curious-looking-  old  fellows  enough ;  but  no 
matter  who  they  were,  down  they  all  at  once 
squatted,  and  tightly  packed  themselves  round  the 
baskets,  entirely  regardless  of  elbow-room,  and  I 
wondered  however  the  attendants  managed  to  stand 


ABYSSINIANS   EATING   RAW    Ml. AT. 


in  their  midst  and  hold  up  their  loads  of  raw  meat. 
These  enormous  pieces  of  flesh  gradually  grew  less 
and  less  as  the  officers  continued  to  cut  and  slice,  till 
the  bare  bone  alone  remained.  After  this  function, 
great  numbers  of  soldiers  were  in  their  turn  fed 
outside  ;  but  I  had  really  had  sufficient  enlightenment 
in  Abyssinian  diet  for  one  day,  and  actually  dreamed 

75 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

of  raw  meat  that  night.  The  king  himself  is  a 
reasonable  feeder,  showing  even  in  this  respect  ideas 
far  in  advance  of  those  of  his  subjects.  Sometimes 
he  even  forgets  all  about  breakfast  until  the  after- 
noon, whereas  one  of  the  chief  considerations  of 
an  ordinary  Abyssinian  is  his  food.  The  king 
generally  ends  the  day  at  nine  o'clock,  starting 
early  again  at  3  a.m. 

On  the  afternoon  following  the  feast,  we  were 
destined  to  enjoy  for  a  second  time  the  honour  of 
visiting  the  king,  for  Harrington  had  brought  a 
message  for  him  from  H.M.  the  Queen  of  England, 
which  she  herself  had  spoken  into  a  phonograph. 
As  we  entered  the  tent,  nearly  half  of  which  had 
been  opened,  we  found  the  king  seated  as  usual, 
whilst  around  him  stood  a  number  of  dignitaries. 
Harrington  and  his  sowars,  with  drawn  and  carried 
swords,  took  their  places  immediately  opposite  the 
monarch.  A  table  was  then  set  in  front  of  the 
king,  and  on  this  the  phonograph  was  placed. 
With  the  exception  of  the  gurgling  sound  produced 
by  the  instrument,  dead  silence  pervaded  the  tent. 
The  Negus  was  highly  gratified  with  the  message, 
even  standing  up  that  he  might  the  more  distinctly 
catch  the  words,  for  he  was  much  struck  with  their 
clearness  and  firmness.  He  listened  to  the  Queen's 
gracious  words  time  after  time,  and  readily  con- 
sented to  my  attempting  to  photograph  the  scene. 
During  this  time  a  grand  salute  of  eleven  guns  was 
being  fired  to  celebrate  the  occasion.  I  stepped 
outside  to  try  and  take  a  picture  of  this  event  also, 

and  found  soldiers  running  about  in  every  direction, 

76 


The   Phonograph   as   Viceroy 

anxious  to    learn    why  guns   were    being  fired    on 
the  sabbath. 

The  phonograph  was  then  carried  off  to  the 
private  quarters  of  Queen  Taitu,  who  was  equally 
charmed  with  the  message,  demanding  several 
times  a  repetition  of  the  Queen's  words.  It  was 


WITH  MENELIK'S  ARMY.     FIKINC,  A  SAI.I:TK  IN  HONOUR  OF  THE  QUEEN'S 
MESSAGE  DELIVERED  FROM  A  1'Ho.NOGRAPH. 


a  wonder  to  me  that  this  particular  cylinder  was 
not  completely  worn  out.  The  Queen,  although 
understanding  no  English  at  all,  was  nevertheless 
easily  able  to  recognize  the  mention  of  her  own 
name. 

77 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

Before  sunrise  the  next  morning  the  vast  camp 
was  again  on  the  move,  wending  its  way  to  the 
next  halting-ground.  We  ourselves  were  invited 
to  ride  with  the  king's  party,  and  were  thus  enabled 
to  see  to  advantage  all  that  went  on  around  us. 
The  king  himself  rode  a  mule  or  pony,  and  was 
preceded  by  his  spare  animals  and  his  dogs.  Close 
by  him  walked  several  of  the  more  important  officers, 
and  immediately  behind  came  his  "gasha  jagry," 
bearing  his  rifle  clothed  in  crimson,  his  shield,  cup, 
and  Bible.  Another  mounted  attendant  followed 
with  a  second  rifle  wrapped  in  red  cloth,  while  a 
third,  on  foot,  carried  the  king's  chair.  It  is  an 
invariable  rule  that  these  attendants  should  immedi- 
ately follow  the  king  whenever  he  is  on  the  march, 
and  under  no  circumstances  is  any  one  permitted  to 
come  between  them  and  his  Majesty.  We  rode 
immediately  behind  the  agafari,  whose  business  it 
is  to  repeat  the  king's  orders,  and  to  first  see  any 
one  desiring  an  audience. 

At  first,  owing  to  the  crowding  and  hustling, 
we  derived  but  little  enjoyment  from  our  ride, 
until  Janhoi,  who  is  ever  mindful  of  his  guests  as 
well  as  his  inferiors,  gave  an  order  for  breathing 
space  to  be  allowed  us.  His  orders  were  carried 
out  to  the  letter,  and  for  ever  afterwards  we  rode 
along  in  perfect  comfort.  As  we  glanced  back 
over  our  shoulders,  we  saw  a  clear  space  of  about 
a  hundred  yards,  and  then  a  perfect  wall  of 
mounted  men  stretching  across  the  valley  and 
moving  forwards.  As  we  proceeded,  more  fol- 
lowers flocked  in  from  both  flanks,  and  many 

78 


The   King's   Progress 

moved  along  the  sides  and  crests  of  the  hills.  On 
passing  each  village  a  crowd  of  its  inhabitants 
would  collect  to  greet  the  king,  and  do  their  homage 
by  stripping  themselves  to  the  waist,  and  calling 
aloud,  "  Janhoi !  Janhoi  !  "  Occasionally  malcon- 
tents came  out,  who,  after  their  fashion,  cried  loudly 
for  justice,  "  Abeit !  abeit !  "  and  to  these  I  fancy 
messengers  were  sent  to  hear  their  complaints. 
One  individual  in  particular  attracted  attention  by 
his  determination  not  to  lose  his  chance  of  "abeit," 
for,  disregarding  a  nasty  shower  of  blows  from  the 
officials  armed  with  the  long  sticks,  he  forced  him- 
self before  the  very  eyes  of  the  king,  and  bitterly 
cried  aloud,  "Abeit!  abeit!"  The  shawm  players 
who  led  the  way  would  every  now  and  then  take 
up  a  position  on  an  elevated  piece  of  ground,  and, 
facing  the  approaching  king,  blow  a  series  of  low, 
deep  blasts. 

Our  route  lay  through  a  continuation  of  mag- 
nificent well-watered  grass  valleys  separated  by 
low  ridges.  There  was  very  scanty  cultivation, 
and  the  little  patches  of  mashillah  (dhura)  we  did 
come  across  were  carefully  avoided  by  everybody, 
for  on  this  point  the  king  is  most  particular.  There 
was  also  a  remarkable  scarcity  of  villages.  After  a 
four  hours'  march,  in  which  time  a  distance  of 
twelve  miles  had  been  covered,  an  open  plain  of 
short  green  grass  lay  in  front  of  us.  Prepared 
beforehand  by  nature,  it  was  a  fitting  camping- 
ground,  as  flat  as  a  billiard  table,  and  intersected 
by  clear,  running  rivulets.  Here  no  tent  was 
seen  until  the  king's  had  been  pitched,  and  the 

79 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

same  procedure  followed  as  on  the  previous  occa- 
sion, the  entry  to  the  king's  tent  as  usual  facing  the 
direction  of  the  morrow's  march.  Then  tents 
sprang  up  around  with  wonderful  rapidity,  each 
general  knowing  well  enough  his  own  correct 
position.  No  orders  were  issued,  there  were  no 
tedious  measurings  with  lines  and  little  flags,  no 
dressing  of  pegs,  no  trumpets  sounding,  no  argu- 
ments, no  talking.  There  was  no  noise  whatever  ; 
every  man  knew  exactly  what  to  do,  with  the 
result  that  in  an  incredibly  short  space  of  time 
the  deserted  plain  was  converted  into  a  sort  of 
Abyssinian  Aldershot. 

The  accompanying  diagrams  should  give  some 
idea  of  the  camping  arrangements  adhered  to  by  an 
Abyssinian  force  on  the  march. 


On  the   March 

Diagram  showing  disposition  of  Menelik's  army 
on  the  march. 


Direction  of  march. 


D 

Fitarauri.* 
Hap-to  Gourgis. 

D  D 

Dejas  Wibi  f  (son-in-law).  Ras  Makonnen. 

n  n  a 

Agafari.J  Dejazmash  Lul  Saget.  Agafari.J 

an  an 

Dejasmach.  Legamakos  Legamakos  Affa 

Nado.§  Abatta.§  Negus.]  | 

n 

King  Menelik. 

D 

Aguami.lT 

Dejaz  Balchi. 

n  n 

The  Queen's  Azaz.  Q 

Artillery  Officer. 

D 

King's  Azaz. 

*  Fitarauri — leader  of  advanced  guard, 
f  Dejaz — short  for  Dejasmach  (a  genera!). 
|  Agafari — receive  people  and  distribute  king's  orders. 
S  Legamakos — only  two  who  dress  like  the  king  in  battle. 
||  AflFa  Negus — Lord  Chief  Justice. 

IT  Personal  attendants   for   food,   water,   tents,   etc.,   under  the 
direction  of  the  Azaz. 

81  G 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

Disposition  of  the  force  on  the  march  of  a  Ras 
or  the  Governor  of  a  Province. 


T  Directi 


Direction  of  march. 


D 

Fitarauri. 
Gerazmach,  or  Kenyazmach,  or 

D  D 

Leader  of  left  wing.  Leader  of  right  wing. 

D  D  D 

Dejazmach.  Ras.  Dejazmach. 

D  D  D 

Bejirondi.* 
*  Bejirondi — looks  after  baggage. 

Disposition  of  a  Dejazmach's  force. 

1  Direction  of  march. 

D 

Fitarauri. 
Shambal,  Shambal, 

D  D 

Leader  of  1000.  Leader  of  1000. 

D  D  D 

Gerazmach.  Dejazmach.  Kenyazmach. 

D  D 

Shambal.  Shambal. 

D 

Bejirondi. 
82 


Camping 

Disposition   of  a  Gerazmach   or    Kenyazmach's 
camp. 


1s  Direction  of  march. 


D  D  D 

Captain.  Shambal.  Captain. 

n  n 

Shambal.  Shambal. 

D 
Gerazmach, 

or 
Kenyazmach. 

D  n 

Captain.  Captain. 

D 

Bejirondi. 


CHAPTER    IX 

WITH    THE   ABYSSINIAN    ARMY 

Menelik's  military  manoeuvres — The  queen's  arrival — The  Beni 
Shangul  people — I  receive  permission  to  travel  anywhere — My 
farewell  to  Menelik — A  comparison  between  the  Negus  and 
King  John — Menelik's  good  example — Departure  from  the  great 
camp — Return  to  the  capital — Entoto — Preparations  for  my 
new  expedition— Market-day  at  Adis  Ababa — Abyssinian  money 
— Side  excursions. 

WITH  6°  Fahr.  of  frost  at  night-time,  we  were  glad 
to  see  the  royal  tent  still  standing  at  sunrise. 
Suddenly,  down  it  went ;  every  other  tent  im- 
mediately collapsed,  and  we  were  once  more  on  the 
move. 

Towards  the  end  of  the  march  the  king  changed 
his  mule  for  an  iron-grey  and  richly  caparisoned  pony. 
This  was  evidently  a  well-known  signal,  for  every 
officer  at  once  mounted ;  while  the  king,  wheeling 
off  to  a  flank,  was  followed  by  a  force  of  several 
hundred  horsemen,  who  trotted  after  him  over  a  fine 
stretch  of  turf,  forming  a  perfect  ground  for  cavalry. 
Sometimes  the  king  broke  into  a  smart  canter,  where- 
upon we  all  swept  along  after  him — an  irregular 
body  of  horsemen.  Presently  the  pace  would  be 
slackened,  and,  at  a  word  of  command,  a  hundred 
officers  galloped  out  to  the  front  and  rode  off. 

84 


Queen  Taitu's  Arrival 

the  very  midst  of  this  vast  concourse,  we  could  not 
have  enjoyed  a  quieter  meal  had  we  been  alone  in 
the  jungle. 

As  soon  as  the  royal  tents  were  ready,  the 
arrival  of  Queen  Taitu  was  announced.  She  was 
preceded  by  a  large  escort  of  armed  and  mounted 
soldiers,  and  immediately  around  her  rode  a 
number  of  officers  and  ladies,  who  made  a  pretty 
picture  in  the  bright  sunshine  with  their  gay  and 
multi-coloured  sunshades.  The  queen  herself,  who 
was  thickly  veiled,  rode  a  brown  mule,  and  was 
sheltered  from  the  sun's  rays  by  a  scarlet  sunshade 
of  enormous  dimensions.  As  she  rode  past  close  by 
where  we  stood,  we  showed  our  respect,  not  after 
the  fashion  of  her  own  subjects  by  stripping  our- 
selves to  the  waist,  but  by  saluting. 

Atone  of  our  camping-places,  a  hill  in  the  midst 
of  a  broad  valley  was  chosen  for  the  royal  tents. 
From  its  summit  we  watched  with  Menelik  the 
approach  to  the  camp  of  the  continuous  stream  of 
men  and  animals.  Amongst  this  multitude  my 
attention  was  drawn  to  the  men  from  the  Beni 
Shangul  district,  who  were  ornamented  with 
numerous  brass  bracelets,  sometimes  almost  con- 
cealing the  entire  arm.  An  individual  of  this 
description  is  rather  to  be  avoided,  for  each  bracelet 
signifies  that  its  wearer  has  killed  a  man. 

The  men  of  Tigre,  as  a  rule,  have  more  finely 
cut  features  than  the  southerners ;  whilst  a  boy  of 
this  district  is  recognizable  by  a  very  short  pigtail 
and  by  the  shaving  of  his  hair  in  front.  On  passing 
boyhood  the  tail  is  cut  off,  and  the  youth  receives 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

from  his  father  a  gun  in  exchange.  The  hair  over 
the  forehead  is  no  longer  shorn,  and  when  it  has 
grown  the  youth  is  presented  with  a  horse. 

But  to  return  to  the  king's  hill.  The  crowd 
seemed  indeed  endless ;  far  as  the  eye  could  see 
the  living  stream  was  still  pouring  in.  The  queen, 
surrounded  by  so  many  gay  colours,  was  noticeable 
at  a  great  distance.  Her  arrival  at  the  royal  hill 
was  the  signal  for  us  to  leave,  and  we  departed  to 
our  different  tents. 

In  the  evening,  Harrington,  on  returning  from 
an  interview  with  the  king,  told  me  to  my  astonish- 
ment and  delight  that  his  Majesty  had  not  only 
granted  me  permission  to  travel  wherever  I  liked 
in  his  country,  but  had  also  promised  to  forward 
letters  to  the  chief  officials  of  all  the  districts  through 
which  I  intended  to  travel,  informing  them  of  the 
fact.  Such  kindness  surpassed  my  expectation, 
and  as  I  shook  hands  and  said  good-bye  to  the  king 
next  day,  I  earnestly  wished  him  every  success  in 
the  campaign  he  was  then  commencing.  I  also 
asked  him  if  I  could  not  make  some  return  for  all 
his  kindness.  "No,"  he  replied;  "only  let  me 
have  copies  of  the  maps  you  make." 

The  Emperor  Menelik  has  really  achieved 
wonders  for  the  well-being  of  his  country.  He  is  far 
in  advance  of  any  previous  Abyssinian  monarch, 
and  under  his  peaceful  reign  the  population  and 
prosperity  of  the  Abyssinians  have  undoubtedly  in- 
creased. He  differs  essentially  from  his  predecessor 
King  John,  and  has  thoroughly  won  the  love  of 
his  countrymen.  King  John  was  a  great  warrior, 


Menelik's  Greatness 

and  being  a  man  of  fine  physique  and  an  athlete, 
was  esteemed  by  the  people.  His  decision,  whether 
rightly  or  wrongly  given,  was  law,  and  though 
anxious  to  be  just — for  he  loved  his  country — he 
would  take  advice  from  none.  Menelik,  on  the 
other  hand,  has  not  the  physical  or  athletic  powers 
of  King  John.  He  is  of  heavier  build,  and  more 
given  to  thought  and  deliberation.  Yet  he  is  far 
in  advance  of  his  predecessor,  for  he  takes  counsel 
from  those  about  him,  and  is  always  mindful  of 
those  below  him.  It  is  said  that  at  the  time  of  the 
"  pest  "  some  ten  years  ago,  when  the  people  were  in 
dire  distress  by  reason  of  their  losses,  Menelik  formed 
a  big  camp,  and  setting  the  example  to  his  people 
with  his  own  hand,  and  assisted  by  his  soldiers, 
tilled  the  soil,  and  in  due  time  handed  over  to  the 
sufferers  the  fruits  of  their  labours,  an  example  that 
encouraged  others  to  do  likewise.  I  was  told  that 
for  three  years  he  ate  no  beef,  for  he  argued,  "  Why 
should  I  enjoy  plenty  while  my  people  are  in  want  ?  " 
I  doubt  if  any  European  ruler  would  have  denied 
himself  to  the  same  extent  for  a  similar  cause.  The 
severity  of  the  "pest "  is  felt  at  the  present  day,  for 
the  price  of  a  cow  is  from  25  to  40  dollars  (£2  $s. 
to  ^4),  whereas  its  former  value  was  from  2  to  4 
dollars — animals  then  being  so  cheap  that  the  hide 
was  sometimes  sold  on  the  live  beast,  as  the  owner 
was  too  lazy  to  slay  and  skin  it. 

On  leaving  the  mighty  camp,  we  took  a  more 
direct  though  rougher  road  back  to  Adis  Ababa, 
crossing  a  pass  called  the  Hulu  Koh,  said  to  be 

12,200  feet  above  the  sea-level.     The   valleys  we 

89 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

rode  through  were  narrow  and  rough.  Some  of 
them  were  rich  in  cultivation,  and  most  of  the  hills 
on  either  side  were  crowned  with  rocks  of  basalt. 
There  were  many  juniper  and  kusso  trees,  the 
latter  affording  excellent  shade  and  bearing  a  long 
red  hanging  flower  from  which  the  Abyssinians 
extract  a  medicine  to  exterminate  the  worms  that 
so  persistently  infest  them,  owing  to  the  custom  of 
eating  their  meat  raw.  As  a  rule,  this  medicine 
is  taken  every  two  months.  From  the  summit  of 
the  pass  we  were  rewarded  with  magnificent  views, 
and  on  the  sky-line  of  a  distant  range  of  hills  could 
see  two  trees  that  showed  us  where  New  Entoto 
lay. 

Entoto,  which  means  "green  place,"  boasted 
the  royal  residence  previously  to  its  being  transferred 
to  Adis  Ababa  (which  means  "new  flower"),  and 
comprises  the  range  of  hills  lying  north-east  of  that 
city,  old  Entoto  being  situated  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  valley.  The  king  found  New  Entoto  an 
extremely  bleak  spot,  besides  being  inconvenient, 
since  it  stands  at  a  height  of  9700  feet  above 
the  sea-level,  or  nearly  2000  feet  above  the  plain 
of  Adis  Ababa,  and  is  reached  by  a  road  which  is 
very  steep  in  places.  We  reached  New  Entoto  in 
good  time  the  following  morning,  and,  passing 
by  the  churches  of  St.  Raguel  and  St.  Mariam, 
descended  the  hill,  which  is  rich  in  iron  and  sand- 
stone, to  our  camp  at  the  capital. 

The  route  of  my  expedition  after  leaving  the 
capital  had  already  been  determined  upon,  but  my 

arrangements  were  by  no  means  complete.     I  had 

90 


Preparing  for  the   March 

with  me  Shahzad  Mir,  my  Somali  boy  Mohamed, 
and  the  goods  we  had  brought  from  Berbera,  com- 
prising my  own  personal  belongings,  supplies, 
instruments,  and  ammunition.  My  instruments  in- 
cluded a  theodolite,  plane-table,  prismatic  compass, 
barometers  and  thermometers.  I  will,  however, 
pass  quickly  over  these  preliminary  details.  By  the 
end  of  November  my  caravan  was  complete  except 
for  the  rifles  and  ammunition  for  my  men,  which  had 


MARKET-DAY,   ADIS  ABABA. 

not  arrived  from  Aden.  Red  tape  on  this  occasion 
caused  us  to  waste  six  weeks,  and  at  least  500 
dollars  (or  ^50)  as  well.  The  time  spent  at 
the  Ethiopian  capital  was,  however,  full  of  enjoy- 
ment. The  climate  was  delightful,  and  the  prepara- 
tions for  an  expedition  into  the  unknown  afford 
immense  pleasure. 

The  first  consideration  was  the  formation  of 
my  transport.  Mules  are/^r  excellence  the  animals 
for  Abyssinia,  but  mules,  owing  to  the  king's 

91 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

campaign,  were  scarce  and  expensive,  costing  50 
dollars  each.  I  had,  therefore,  to  content  myself 
with  thirty  of  these,  and  to  make  up  the  deficiency 
by  purchasing  ponies  and  donkeys.  Every  day, 
excepting  Sunday,  which,  as  I  have  said  before, 
is  strictly  observed,  is  a  market  day  at  the 
capital,  but  by  far  the  largest  is  on  Saturdays,  when 
from  the  early  morning  villagers  coming  from  all 
quarters  may  be  seen  driving  their  donkeys  or 
mules  laden  with  goods  for  sale.  One  of  the  most 
interesting  corners  of  the  market  is  where  the  ponies 
are  gathered  together  and  their  points  exhibited 
along  the  open  sward. 

The  Abyssinian's  ideals  in  a  horse  are  pace  and 
the  power  of  suddenly  pulling  up,  and  without  doubt 
the  movements  of  a  great  number  of  ponies  are 
hampered  by  the  severe  bits  used  to  ensure  suc- 
cess in  this  practice.  As  a  rule,  there  are  not 
many  ponies  up  to  13.3  hands  high,  and  they  can 
generally  be  bought  for  from  20  to  30  dollars, 
whereas  a  baggage  pony  will  cost  about  10  dollars. 
There  is  a  very  fair  supply  of  ponies,  some  hundreds 
appearing  in  the  market, and  were  there  only  English- 
men in  the  country,  measures  would  be  taken  to 
introduce  fresh  blood  and  improve  the  present  class. 
With  but  little  training,  many  ponies  as  it  is  will 
very  soon  make  polo  ponies,  for  none  of  them  have 
any  fear  of  the  stick,  being  daily  accustomed  to  the 
frantic  waving  of  the  spears.  Few  can  jump,  though 
most  of  them  take  to  it  willingly  enough  ;  but  this  is 
not  always  the  case,  for  on  one  occasion  my  latest 
purchase,  in  a  fit  of  obstinacy,  refused  to  jump,  and 

92 


Abyssinian   Horseflesh 

knocked  down  half  the  mud  wall  built  round  one 
of  the  wattle  huts.  "  Oh  !  "  cried  out  the  old  lacly 
who  occupied  the  place.  "  It's  all  very  well,  if  you 


HORSE-MARKET,    ADIS   ABABA. 

take  a  fall,  you  have  the  money  to  pay  somebody 
to  nurse  you  ;  but  I  have  no  one  to  pay  for  the 
nursing  of  my  wall." 

Next  to  the   ponies,  the  wood-sellers  take  up 

93 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

their  position  in  the  market,  and  one  cannot  help 
being  filled  with  commiseration  for  these  men  on 
comparing  the  amount  of  their  work  and  their 
pay,  for  they  have  to  bring  the  "  turbs  "  or  long 
pieces  of  wood  into  market  from  a  distance  of 
fifteen  miles.  Close  by  are  the  sellers  of  honey, 
wax,  and  butter,  the  latter  averaging  about  a 
dollar  for  8  Ibs.  Next  are  the  sellers  of  various 
sorts  of  grain.  This  is  principally  barley  and  teff, 
but  I  have  also  noticed  wheat,  peas,  oats,  rice,  and 
linseed.  There  are  also  for  sale  silver  trinkets, 
cloth,  beads,  cartridge-belts,  files,  skins,  leather 
straps  (machanya),  saddles,  inferior  knives,  various 
articles  made  of  iron,  hardware,  and  so  forth,  and 
lastly  fowls,  sheep,  and  cattle.  One  is  much  struck 
by  the  appearance  of  the  women  who  throng  the 
market,  for  many  of  them  are  excessively  pretty. 

In  spite  of  the  big  market,  the  money  in  circula- 
tion is  sufficiently  awkward  to  deter  most  Europeans 
from  buying.  A  quarter  of  a  dollar  is  represented 
by  an  amole,  which  is  a  stick  of  salt  measuring 
nearly  a  foot  in  length.  If  chipped,  however,  five 
or  even  six  of  these  go  to  a  dollar.  Cartridges  are 
employed  for  smaller  sums  than  this.  Adjoining 
the  market-place  is  the  custom-house,  where  ivory 
and  coffee  and  piles  of  Gras  rifles  are  most  con- 
spicuous. Mules  and  donkeys,  of  which  a  few 
months  ago  large  numbers  were  to  be  seen  in  the 
market,  are  now  no  longer  for  sale,  owing  to  an 
edict  of  the  king  restricting  the  price.  I  was 
therefore  compelled  to  undertake  several  two-day 
trips  to  search  for  them. 

94 


CHAPTER    X 

LAST     DAYS    AT    THE    CAPITAL 

A  mysterious  hill — An  Abyssinian  legend — A  visit  to  the  Shaitan's 
cave — The  British  Residency — Managasha — The  king  of  the 
forest — M.  Vlassof  s  ostrich — Final  preparations  for  my  journey 
— My  caravan — My  last  day  at  the  capital. 

THESE  little  excursions  were  also  useful  in  other 
respects,  for  I  always  selected  well-known  and  con- 
spicuous hills  as  fixed  points  for  commencing  our 
surveying.  Parts  of  some  of  the  hills  were  wooded, 
and  barley  grew  almost  up  to  the  very  summits 
(some  were  10,000  feet  high),  whilst  good  shooting 
was  provided  by  three  different  kinds  of  gazelle,  as 
well  as  bustard,  partridges,  and  guinea-fowl.  One 
day  I  informed  my  Abyssinians  that  I  intended 
paying  a  visit  to  the  hill  called  Yerrer,  situated  west 
of  Adis  Ababa  ;  but  they  did  all  they  could  to 
dissuade  me  from  such  a  trip,  saying  that  a  "  Shai- 
tan "  dwelt  there,  and  that  for  this  reason  they 
dare  not  go.  This  strange  bit  of  news  was  quite 
enough  to  rouse  my  curiosity,  and  I  made  inquiries 
regarding  the  Shaitan,  and  was  told  the  following 
legend. 

Somewhere  on  this  hill  there  is  a  cave  guarded 
by  the   Shaitan,   which  penetrates  so   far  into   the 

95 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

bowels  of  the  earth  that  nobody  has  ever  been 
able  to  reach  its  limits,  where  the  Gallas,  when 
invaded,  were  accustomed  to  conceal  their  cattle. 
According  to  popular  belief,  there  will  at  some 
period  emerge  from  this  cave  a  king,  whose  name 
will  be  Theodore,  and  an  abuna  (bishop)  called 
Zahai  (sun).  These  will  rule  from  Yerrer  to 
Gondar.  The  army  of  this  King  Theodore  will  be 
composed  of  Shangkallas.*  East  of  Yerrer  all  will 
be  prosperous,  but  towards  the  west  King  Menelik 
and  his  army  will  be  annihilated. 

During  the  reign  of  this  new  king,  a  small  piece 
of  land  will  satisfy  the  wants  of  thousands  of  people, 
and  the  milk  from  one  cow  will  be  sufficient  for 
thirty  men  ;  prosperity  will  reign  throughout,  and 
all  will  love  God  and  will  strive  for  Paradise  and 
obtain  it. 

Early  the  next  morning  I  set  out  to  visit  this 
cave,  to  try  and  find  out  the  truth  of  the  legend 
from  the  guardian  himself.  After  a  pleasant  ride 
of  seven  or  eight  miles  over  grassy  undulating 
ground,  we  reached  the  Akaki,  a  clear  flowing 
stream,  on  the  opposite  bank  of  which  were  a 
number  of  caves  inhabited  by  people  and  their 
cattle.  These  caves  were  all  connected  by  myste- 
rious back  passages,  and,  although  providing  good 
shelter  from  sun  and  rain,  have  this  drawback — that, 
on  emerging  from  any  one  of  them,  one  stands  a 
very  good  chance  of  stepping  into  space.  There  are 

*  Abyssinians,  in  general,  call  everybody  with  a  black  skin  a 
"  Shangkalla,"  no  matter  whether  he  is  a  Galla,  Turkana,  Soudanese, 
or  anything  else. 

96 


A  Journey   of  Discovery 

said  to  be  great  stores  of  grass  inside  these  caverns. 
After  another  couple  of  hours'  ride,  we  halted  by 
a  rivulet  for  breakfast  and  to  rest  the  animals. 
My  Abyssinians  again  took  the  opportunity  of  re- 
peating their  belief  that  none  who  ascended  Yerrer 
would  come  down  alive.  Disregarding  their  asser- 
tions, I  moved  on  again  at  noon  through  fields  of 
oats,  peas,  beans,  and  linseed,  steering  for  the  north- 
east side  of  the  hill,  where  a  collection  of  small 
villages  were  situated.  Here  the  present  of  a 
"salt"  (amole)  gained  the  friendship  of  one  of  the 
inhabitants,  who  agreed  to  act  as  guide  and  take 
me  to  the  summit  of  the  mountain,  and  show  me 
the  "  Shaitan's "  cave.  We  walked  and  climbed 
hard  for  an  hour  or  so,  and  were  well  repaid  for  our 
exertions,  for  I  was  enabled  to  take  bearings  to  all 
my  other  points.  On  the  return  journey,  after 
taking  a  somewhat  indirect  route,  we  climbed  with 
loaded  rifles  along  a  precipitous  hillside,  thick  with 
undergrowth,  till  quite  suddenly  we  came  upon  the 
entrance  to  the  mysterious  place.  Here  lay  a 
quantity  of  bones,  the  hoof  of  a  pony,  the  jawbone 
of  a  donkey,  porcupine  quills,  and  other  tokens  of 
the  Shaitan's  greed  ;  but  all  our  efforts  by  shouting 
and  hurling  sticks  and  stones  failed  to  disturb  the 
guardian.  To  penetrate  into  the  cave  was  by  no 
means  an  inviting  task,  as  it  entailed  for  the  first 
few  yards  a  crawl,  literally  ventrt  a  terre,  in  thick 
slimy  mud,  and  I  preferred  to  go  off  and  shoot  a 
couple  of  gazelle  for  supper  instead  of  grovelling  in 
slush. 

On  returning  to  our  bivouac,  I  found  the  villagers 

97  H 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

had  brought  milk,  water,  chopped  straw  for  the 
mules,  and  a  sheep  for  my  Abyssinians,  which  they 
of  course  ate  raw.  They  are  hardy  fellows  in 
their  own  hills,  and  good  climbers  ;  and  when  I  sug- 
gested dropping  down  a  few  hundred  feet  or  so  to 
a  snug  little  nook  to  avoid  the  cutting  wind,  they 
replied,  "  Oh,  we  don't  mind  the  cold."  I  must, 
however,  confess  that  although  well  supplied  with 
blankets,  I  was  considerably  discomforted  by  it. 

At  daybreak  we  climbed  again  to  explore  more 
caves  and  renew  our  search  for  Shaitan.  Some  were 
most  awkwardly  placed ;  and  as  we  crept  along 
hanging  on  to  tufts  of  grass  and  hardy  plants,  my 
boots  were  far  from  giving  me  a  sound  footing,  and 
my  men  were  equally  persistent  in  warning  me  that 
if  I  did  slip,  I  should  in  truth  be  launched  into 
eternity,  as  if  the  danger  of  my  position  was  not 
sufficiently  brought  home  to  me  without  frequent 
reminders.  Search  as  we  might,  all  was  in  vain. 
We  therefore  returned  down  the  eastern  side,  in 
order  to  see  some  famous  ruins  of  a  building  said  to 
have  been  erected  by  Cadros  (King  Theodore). 
The  outer  walls  had  originally  been  of  circular 
shape,  and  inside  them  there  had  been  a  square 
building,  where  the  remains  of  massive  pillars  and 
the  ruins  of  steps  leading  up  to  the  interior  could 
be  distinguished.  The  whole  had  been  built  with 
slabs  of  sandstone.  Some  of  them  were  of  im- 
mense size  (as  much  as  twenty  feet  long),  and  the 
sight  naturally  made  me  pause,  and  wonder  how 
on  earth  men  contrived  to  carry  and  place  them 
there. 

98 


Abyssinian  Generosity 

Not  far  from  the  ruins  I  fired  at  a  gazelle, 
and  was  annoyed  to  see  the  bullet  strike  the 
ground  beyond.  A  moment  afterwards,  to  my  sur- 
prise, I  saw  the  gazelle  drop  down  dead.  I  after- 
wards found  that  the  bullet  had  entered  by  one 
shoulder  and  left  by  the  other. 

On  our  return  journey,  a  friendly  Galla  had 
prepared  a  feast  for  us  all  by  the  wayside.  There 
was  milk  and  crisp  bread  for  myself,  and  injerras, 
with  spices  and  tej,  for  the  men  ;  and  on  my  pressing 
upon  the  native  a  couple  of  dollars  in  return  for  his 
hospitality,  he  not  only  declined  all  payment,  but 
offered  me  the  present  of  a  cow.  Is  there  another 
country  in  the  world  whose  inhabitants  are  blessed 
with  such  generous  instincts  ? 

At  this  period,  Harrington  had  chosen,  and  had 
been  given  by  the  king,  a  fine  tract  of  land  as  a  site 
for  the  British  Residency.  The  difficulty  in  building 
anything  more  pretentious  than  a  round  wattle  hut 
lay  in  the  scarcity  of  wood,  for  almost  every  tree 
near  Adis  Ababa  had  already  been  cut  up  for  fire- 
wood, and  the  supply  has  to  be  carried  in  on  men's 
heads  from  a  greater  distance  day  by  day.  It 
would  appear  that  eventually  either  the  people  must 
do  without  firewood  or  the  king  must  remove  his 
palace  to  a  timbered  district.  Some  of  the  best 
wood  grows  in  the  forest  of  Managasha,  fifteen  miles 
off,  whither  Harrington  and  I  rode  to  arrange  for 
a  supply  of  timber  for  the  Residency.  The  road 
was  pleasant  enough  as  we  cantered  over  miles  of 
grass  land,  crossing  every  now  and  then  a  deep 
gully  or  rivulet  running  north  and  south,  and  the 

99 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

soil  everywhere  was  undoubtedly  fertile  and  only 
waiting  cultivation. 

Soon  we  reached  a  rounded,  thickly  wooded 
hill,  and  after  passing  this,  we  arrived  at  the  abode 
of  the  king  of  the  forest  of  Managasha — who  is 
a  Greek.  Greeks  always  will,  somehow  or  other, 
ferret  out  the  least-frequented  spots  on  earth,  and 
there  eke  out  an  existence.  Around  his  circular 
wattle  hut,  the  home  of  this  particular  Greek,  a 
space  had  been  cleared,  and  the  views  over  the  tops 
of  endless  cotton  trees  were  magnificent.  He  was 
happy  enough  with  his  Abyssinian  wife  and  female 
slave,  drawing  sixty  dollars  a  month  from  the  royal 
treasury ;  and  as  we  reclined  on  carpets  sipping 
Turkish  coffee  beneath  a  shady  tree,  hot  and  tired 
from  our  long  ride,  I  for  a  moment,  but  only  for 
the  moment,  envied  the  little  Greek,  as  he  related 
his  battles  with  countless  panthers,  and  his  stalks 
over  the  hills  after  game.  The  spot  well  deserves 
a  visit  by  reason  of  its  beauty,  not  to  mention  the 
hospitality  of  the  Greek. 

Amidst  my  preparations  the  days  slipped  by  at 
an  alarming  rate,  and  had  there  been  more  English 
people  at  the  capital,  I  might  have  never  wished  to 
quit  it.  Some  of  our  mornings  were  spent  hunting 
the  "jack,"  but  the  royal  pack  (the  dogs  were  being 
trained  by  Harrington  for  the  king)  at  first  were 
scarcely  accustomed  to  our  ways,  and  the  day  was 
generally  ended  by  our  chasing  the  jack  with 
spears,  and  without  the  hounds.  Others  were  em- 
ployed in  visiting  our  Russian,  French,  or  Italian 
neighbours,  or  in  a  chat  with  those  most  hospitable 

ICO 


'Twixt   Sirdar  and  Menelik 

and  charming  people,  M.  and  Madame  Ilg.  In 
Abyssinia  there  is  as  good  a  climate  and  as  good 
sport  as  one  could  possibly  wish  to  have,  but  there 
is  a  dearth  of  Englishmen. 

The  Russian  Residence  is  distinguished  by  a 
"tame"  ostrich  which  guards  the  portals.  On 
entering  the  enclosure  the  first  time,  I  was  taken 
quite  unawares  by  the  "  pet "  rushing  furiously 
at  me  and  my  pony.  Had  I  been  able  I  should 
have  fled  straight  away,  but  an  irate  ostrich,  of  all 
animals,  gives  no  time  to  think  of  flight,  and  I 
mechanically  slashed  out  right  and  left  with  my 
stick,  while  my  attendant  aided  by  throwing  stones 
from  a  safe  distance.  While  in  the  midst  of  the 
encounter,  Madame  Vlassof  appeared  on  the 
verandah  of  the  house,  and  called  out  in  a  great 
state  of  mind,  "Do  nothing!  do  nothing!"  This 
advice,  however,  I  was  rude  enough  to  disregard  ; 
but,  retiring  and  defending,  I  eventually  made  good 
my  retreat  to  where  she  stood,  when  the  ostrich, 
more  obedient  to  Madame  Vlassof's  voice  than  I 
had  been,  desisted  from  further  attack.  In  order 
to  guard  against  any  future  encounter,  I  promised 
to  arm  myself  with  a  sharp  sword,  hoping  that  my 
threat  would  cause  the  bird  to  be  tied  up  if  its  life 
were  valued. 

But  to  return  to  my  preparations.  Although  the 
purchase  of  mules  progressed  rather  slowly,  there 
was  no  difficulty  whatever  in  enlisting  men.  "  Are 
you  prepared  to  go  anywhere  and  for  any  length 
of  time  ?"  was  my  invariable  question  ;  "  and  your 
pay  will  be  five  dollars  the  first  month,  with  an 

IO2 


Cook  and   Ex-trumpeter 

increase  of  one  dollar  more  each  month  if  you 
behave  properly."  "  Will  go  anywhere  you  like, 
even  for  a  year,"  would  come  in  reply.  Daily  I 
was  accosted  by  half  a  dozen  Abyssinians  or  more 
wishing  to  enlist  for  my  expedition.  Seeing  that 
I  was  the  only  European,  it  was  advisable  for  many 
reasons  to  take  other  men  besides  Abyssinians. 
In  Adis  Ababa  I  found  four  Somalis,  and  sent  to 
Harrar  for  four  more.  I  also  obtained  the  king's 
permission  to  enlist  five  Soudanese,  who  had  charge 
of  the  royal  artillery  and  acted  as  instructors  to  the 
Abyssinians.  They  were  remnants  of  the  Italian 
Bottego's  ill-fated  expedition.  Being  penniless,  they 
had  had  no  chance  of  leaving  the  country,  but 
they  eagerly  took  service  under  me. 

I  also  discovered  a  man  hailing  from  Massowah, 
who  had  fought  for  the  Italians  at  Adua,  had  been 
taken  prisoner  after  the  battle,  and  then  acted  as  King 
Menelik's  trumpeter.  Owing  to  his  liberal  potations 
of  tej,  his  blowing  had  become  so  inaccurate,  and 
so  jarred  upon  the  nerves  of  his  royal  master,  that 
his  services  were  no  longer  required,  and  thus  being 
without  work,  he  offered  himself  to  me  as  "cook." 
He  had  never  cooked  in  his  life,  but  he  was  soon 
taught  the  rudiments  of  frying  meat  and  making 
chupatties  ;  and  not  only  did  this  for  me  throughout 
the  whole  of  my  travels,  but  also  gave  me  daily 
lessons  in  exercising  patience  and  self-control,  for  I 
must  add  that  he  seldom  produced  a  meal  under 
two  or  three  hours. 

The  remainder  of  my  men  were  Abyssinians 
and  Gallas,  making  a  total  of  forty-four.  For 

10  3 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

every  man  I  carried  nearly  four  months'  supply  of 
food — flour,  salt,  pepper,  and  durgosh,  the  latter 
being  a  preparation  from  flour,  and  of  special 
value,  for  half  a  mug  of  it  mixed  with  cold  water 
forms  a  ready-cooked  and  substantial  meal.  All  the 
food  was  tightly  packed  in  skins.  Then  we  had  to 
make  pack-saddles  and  leather  ropes  for  the  mules, 
cartridge-belts  and  tents  for  the  men.  We  took 
also  axes,  sickles,  and  cooking  utensils,  besides 
beads,  cloth,  and  knives,  &c.,  for  barter  with 
natives.  Our  impedimenta  included  a  light 
collapsable  canvas  boat,  easily  carried  on  one  man's 
head,  and  capable  of  holding  three  men.  Though 
we  took  great  care  of  the  boat  for  several  months, 
without  needing  it,  our  labour  towards  the  end  of 
our  journey  was  amply  rewarded. 

As  regards  water-cans,  I  consider  empty  kero- 
sene tins  to  be  the  most  serviceable ;  they  are 
light  and  strong,  and  two  in  a  box  are  suitable  for 
loading  either  on  mules  or  camels.  They  were 
scarce  at  the  capital,  and  the  price  varied.  I  came 
across  one  of  them  in  a  shop  kept  by  a  French 
merchant ;  the  price  for  the  empty  tin  was  seven 
dollars  (fourteen  shillings) !  I  fancy  the  tin  is  still 
on  sale.  The  Hindu  merchants  sold  me  them  for 
half  a  dollar  a  piece.  The  shops  at  the  capital  are 
few  in  number,  and  kept  principally  by  French  and 
Hindu  merchants,  who  have  a  miscellaneous  collec- 
tion of  things  on  sale.  In  the  French  shops  a  few 
stores  can  be  bought — sugar,  for  instance,  but  at 
four  shillings  a  pound  ! 

Sunday,  the  i8th  of  December,  was  my  last  day 

104 


Farewell  to  Civilization 

in  Adis  Ababa,  and  a  very  busy  one.  My  Abys- 
sinians  likewise  had  business,  for  in  the  evening  all 
were  missing.  Although  I  was  actually  about  to 
start  from  the  capital,  I  had  no  intention  of  going 
very  far  until  my  rifles  and  ammunition  arrived  from 
Aden.  After  all,  the  time  would  not  be  altogether 
wasted,  for  it  was  just  as  well  that  my  men  and 
myself  should  become  accustomed  to  one  another 
before  launching  into  unknown  regions.  The  bag- 
gage animals,  too,  would  be  grazing  on  fresh  land 
and  fattening  for  the  work  that  lay  before  them. 

At  sunrise  the  next  morning  all  the  absentees 
had  returned,  and  were  busily  engaged  loading  up. 
Soon  afterwards  I  said  good-bye  to  H.B.M.'s 
Agent,  the  last  European  we  should  see  for  more 
than  six  months. 


105 


CHAPTER   XI 

FROM    ADIS    ABABA    TOWARDS    THE    UNKNOWN 

We  start  for  the  unknown — Commissariat  and  camp  arrangements — 
A  squabble  with  the  Gallas — Christmas  Day — I  lecture  my  men — 
Christmas  meditations — The  wonders  of  Mount  Zaquala — Christ- 
mas sports — The  Hawash. 

WE  steered  a  southern  direction  for  the  famous  hill 
of  Zaquala,  and  about  noon  halted  by  the  side  of  a 
rippling  rivulet,  where  we  made  final  arrangements 
which  would  have  to  be  adhered  to  throughout  the 
entire  journey. 

The  men  were  divided  into  six  sections — one 
composed  of  the  Soudanese,  one  of  the  Somalis,  and 
four  of  the  Abyssinians.  Each  section  had  its  own 
commander,  its  own  tent,  animals,  baggage,  cooking- 
pots,  tins,  axes,  &c.,  and  each  one  took  its  turn  at 
sentry  duty  by  night  and  at  guarding  the  grazing 
animals  by  day.  In  addition  to  these  six  tents 
(each  of  which  weighed  only  a  few  pounds,  and 
together  did  not  even  constitute  a  donkey  load), 
there  was  my  own  tent,  weighing  about  50  Ibs.,  and 
Shahzad  Mir's,  30  Ibs.  Both  of  these,  which  were 
made  of  "  mill  rain,"  I  had  brought  from  Cawn- 
pore.  There  was  also  a  small  black,  gipsy-like  tent 
for  my  cook,  and  a  fairly  large  one  for  the  headman, 

1 06 


Our  Baggage   Bearers 

where  stores  could  be  packed  in  wet  weather,  and 
where  natives,  who  were  small  fry,  scarcely  worth  my 
own  attention,  might  receive  hospitality  from  the 
others.  My  own  stores,  which  had  cost  me  twenty 
pounds,  and  which  chiefly  consisted  of  tea,  cocoa, 
coffee,  and  jams,  were  carried  on  three  mules.  At 
night-time  we  formed  a  circle  with  our  ten  tents. 
On  either  side  of  my  tent  were  the  cook's  and 
headman's  tent,  and  opposite  was  Shahzad  Mir's. 
At  night  the  animals  were  picketed  by  their  re- 
spective tents,  the  baggage  lying  between  tents 
and  animals.  Each  section  loaded  up  and  moved 
off  independently,  being  only  responsible  for  its 
own  respective  animals  and  loads.  The  advan- 
tages of  such  a  system  were  proved  times  out  of 
number,  principally  in  that  the  time  of  loading  and 
unloading  was  reduced  to  a  minimum. 

At  the  first  streak  of  dawn  the  sentry  would 
ring  a  bell,  our  reveille,  and  woe  betide  the  man 
who  lingered.  In  half  an  hour  we  were  on  the  road 
again. 

On  the  second  day  out  from  the  capital,  not 
wishing  to  march  longer  than  from  three  to  four 
hours,  I  was  compelled,  through  scarcity  of  water, 
to  take  advantage  of  a  small  pool  I  chanced  to  hit 
upon.  It  was  stagnant,  with  dead  leaves  and 
branches  on  the  surface.  Such  an  uninviting  supply 
would  seem  to  be  scarcely  worth  fighting  over,  yet 
on  my  Abyssinians  taking  the  mules  to  drink,  a  host 
of  Gallas  appeared  on  the  scene  and  declined  to 
allow  them  even  a  drop.  Hearing  the  noise,  more 
men  rushed  out  of  camp  to  join  in  the  fun — for,  so 

107 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

far,  they  were  absolutely  ignorant  of  discipline — and 
all  was  ready  for  a  first-class  row,  when  I  produced 
the  king's  letter  with  magical  effect.     The   Gallas 
fled  precipitately,  leaving  two  spears  in  our  hands ; 
but  the   mules,    after   all,    ungratefully   turned    up 
their  noses  at  the  stagnant  water.     I  then  sent  a 
messenger   of  peace    to  these   poor   ignorant   and 
somewhat  terrified   Gallas,  to  explain   who   I   was, 
and  to  express  my  willingness  to   pay  for  all  the 
water  both  men  and  animals  had  drunk,  which,  by 
the  way,  did  not  amount  to  very  much.     During  the 
absence  of  the  messenger,   I    lectured  the  men  on 
my  method  of  dealing  with   Gallas  and  all   other 
natives,  explaining  how  it  differed  from  their  own, 
and  that  my  motives  and  wishes  were  always  of  a 
friendly  nature,  that  I  was  totally  averse  from  the 
exercise  of  force,  and  that  as  long  as  they  chose  to 
remain  with  me,  they  would  have  to  adapt  them- 
selves to  my  ways.    They  all  "'  isshed  "  *  and  bowed. 
Towards  evening  the   Gallas  verified  my  pre- 
dictions by  bringing  me  a  goat,  for  which,  contrary 
to  their  wishes  and    expectations,   I    insisted  upon 
paying  two   dollars,   and  afterwards   they  brought 
fowl,   eggs,  injerras,  and  tej.     In   return   I    further 
distributed  a  few  dollars  amongst  the  youngsters, 
which,  by  the  way,  were  taken  away  by  the  old 
people    for     the    purpose     of    returning    to     me. 
After  sunset,   they  brought  in  milk,  and  again  at 
daybreak  some   injerras.     We  finally  parted  with 

*  "Isshe"  means  "Yes,  we  quite  agree,''  and  is  the  invariable 
acknowledgment  of  words  or  deeds.  "  Isshe  "  is  always  on  the  lips 
of  many  Abyssinians. 

108 


Abyssinian  Potentialities 

many  protestations  of  friendship,  they  even  going 
so  far  as  to  say  that  they  would  look  out  for  us  on 
our  return  journey. 

This  is  an  instance  out  of  many  I  might  quote 
illustrative  of  the  friendly  disposition  predominant 
amongst  the  Gallas.  The  lot  of  these  people  is  a 
varied  one,  for  some  are  perfectly  contented,  whilst 
others  are  the  reverse.  It  must  be  remembered 
that  the  king  and  his  rases,  or  governors  of  pro- 
vinces, are,  generally  speaking,  enlightened  men 
with  good  hearts  and  sound  intentions,  whilst  the 
ordinary  Abyssinian  knows  nothing  beyond  tej, 
shooting,  and  raiding.  Not  that  the  Abyssinians 
are  to  blame  for  a  single  moment  ;  arm  a  primitive 
people  with  guns,  and  what  must  be  the  inevi- 
table fate  of  their  less  fortunately  armed  neighbours  ? 
To  me  it  is  astonishing  that  the  results  have  not 
been  more  direful  than  they  are.  It  speaks  well 
for  the  Abyssinians,  and  I  still  cling  to  my  first  im- 
pression— that  there  is  good  and  plenty  of  go  in 
them,  which  will  be  developed  as  soon  as  the  cloud 
of  astounding  ignorance  enshrouding  them  is  lifted. 
They  are  not  to  be  blindly  censured,  though  their 
words  and  deeds  are  often  wrong.  The  reproach, 
if  there  be  any,  lies  with  those  through  whom  a 
reckless  importation  of  rifles  has  been  permitted. 

On  the  third  day  we  camped  on  a  western 
spur  of  the  Zaquala  hill,  and  afterwards  moved  to 
some  healthy-looking  grass  on  the  high  banks  of  a 
mountain  stream,  where,  having  pitched  our  camp 
beneath  the  delicious  shade  of  some  gurha  trees,  I 
decided  to  stop  and  celebrate  Christmas  Day.  It  so 

109 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

chanced  that  the  back  of  one  of  the  bagrgaefe- ponies 

OO      O          i 

was  slightly  rubbed  during  the  last  march,  and  as 
we  should  be  compelled  to  hang  about  for  several 
days,  I  gave  orders  to  load  one  of  my  baggage- 
ponies  that  the  wounded  one  might  recover.  This 
greatly  astonished  my  Abyssinians,  who  argued  that 
all  the  mules  and  ponies  would  have  raw  backs 
before  very  long,  but  that  it  really  did  not  matter, 
for  they  could  be  loaded  just  the  same.  Towards 
evening  I  became  aware  that  grumbling  was  going 
on  amongst  the  men,  because  the  headman  had  told 
them  their  pay  would  be  cut  on  account  of  the  injury 
to  the  pony's  back.  I  therefore  resolved  to  settle 
the  little  matter  without  delay.  I  took  my  chair 
before  the  big  log  fire  that  was  always  made  before 
my  tent  at  nightfall,  and  summoning  all  the  men, 
inquired  into  the  cause  of  the  trouble  that  was  brew- 
ing among  them.  They  were  evidently  shy  and 
somewhat  taken  by  surprise,  but  at  length  muttered 
that  they  did  not  like  to  see  me  load  my  own  riding- 
pony,  and  that  they  would  rather  carry  the  load 
themselves.  Ignoring  this  statement,  I  replied  that 
I  was  glad  they  had  come  before  me,  and  that  if 
they  were  afraid  of  losing  their  pay,  they  might  rest 
assured  that  all  payments  would  be  made  by  my 
own  hands.  Should  I  ever  think  of  cutting  their 
pay,  I  would  personally  tell  them  so  face  to  face,  and 
through  no  other  means.  I  told  them  that  we  were 
about  to  start  together  on  a  journey  which  would 
last  for  many  months,  and  that  I  wanted  only  willing 
men  who  would  trust  and  believe  in  me,  and  in  whom 
I  could  repose  confidence.  I  added  that  if  any  of 


I  10 


The  End  of  the   Meeting 

them  were  discontented,  they  could  return  to  their 
homes  at  once,  as  this  could  now  be  easily  done, 
and  I  should  not  stand  in  any  one's  way.  With  one 
accord  they  isshed  and  bowed,  swearing  to  follow  me 
even  to  the  sea,  for  any  length  of  time,  and  begged 
me  not  to  load  my  own  riding-ponies  any  more.  I 
replied  they  did  not  yet  know  the  Ingliz,  and  that 
when  necessity  demanded,  we  went  a  good  deal 
further  than  that.  The  assembly  then  broke  up, 
and  the  men  set  about  singing  and  dancing  to  the 
banjo  and  the  whistle,  as  happy  as  sandpipers,  and 
left  me  alone  by  the  burning  logs  that  glowed  in 
the  frosty  night  air. 

As  I  sat  smoking  my  pipe  in  solitude,  I  reflected 
on  many  things,  and  on  the  journey  before  me, 
summing  up  the  difficulties  that  beset  our  path. 
There  were  only  two  that  really  made  me  pause- 
first,  the  possibility  of  all  my  animals  dying  from 
attacks  of  the  tsetse,  or  seroot  fly  ;  secondly,  the 
possibility  of  my  Abyssinians  turning  back.  The 
first  would  come  from  the  hand  of  fate,  against  which 
I  had  no  power ;  but  the  latter  problem  I  was  deter- 
mined to  overcome — not  only  should  they  not  turn 
back,  but  they  should  follow  me  of  their  own  free 
will ;  although  their  departure  would  not  have 
marred  my  expedition  in  the  slightest,  for  I 
should  have  gone  on  just  the  same  with  the 
remainder  of  the  Soudanese  and  Somalis.  So 
far,  however,  no  foreigner  had  succeeded  in 
taking  Abyssinians  out  of  their  country  :  they  had 
either  turned  back  at  an  early  date,  or  had  sickened 
and  died  ;  and  I  was  resolved  to  succeed  where 

in 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

others  had  failed,  and  prove  that  Abyssinians  can 
leave  their  country  like  other  people.  Besides,  I 
hoped  eventually  to  be  able  to  show  them  something 
of  our  power  in  Egypt,  to  enlighten  their  minds  and 
generate  a  spirit  amongst  their  fellow-countrymen 
.  for  future  enterprise,  for  I  trusted  they  would  return 
safely  to  their  country,  and  there  encourage  others 
to  leave  it,  and  see  for  themselves  something  of  the 
civilized  world.  These  meditations  were  interrupted 
by  the  return  of  my  Abyssinians,  who,  forming  a 
circle  round  the  fire,  talked  and  joked  over  the  trip 
some  of  us  intended  making  to  the  top  of  the 
mountains  on  the  morrow,  and  I  could  see  by  their 
faces  that  they  were  eager  to  do  all  they  could  to 
help  me. 

There  is  a  legend  connected  with  Zaquala  hill. 
There  is  said  to  be  a  lake  at  the  very  summit,  from 
the  centre  of  which  a  dim  light  used  to  be  seen 
shining  through  the  dead  of  night,  but  which  latterly, 
owing  to  so  many  sinners  visiting  the  spot,  had 
disappeared.  It  is  also  said  that  on  this  mys- 
terious hill  there  are  two  big  stones  lying  close 
together.  No  sinner  is  allowed  to  pass  between  them 
until  he  confesses  his  faults,  but  should  anybody 
whose  soul  is  perfect  attempt  the  passage,  he  will 
pass  straight  through  without  harm.  The  lake,  too, 
has  marvellous  properties,  for  all  who  bathe  in  its 
waters  not  only  cleanse  their  bodies,  but  their  souls 
also.  There  is  no  end  to  the  legends  connected  with 
this  priest-ridden  spot.  I  set  out  for  the  sacred 
mountain  with  half  a  dozen  Abyssinians,  taking  a 
fairly  good  track  through  long  grass,  at  times  over 

112 


A   Holy   Man 

steep  and  rocky  paths.  The  climb  was  enlivened  on 
the  way  by  a  successful  stalk  after  a  gazelle,  and 
rewarded  at  the  summit  by  finding  there  a  lake  of 
wonderful  beauty.  It  lay  silent  at  the  bottom  of  a 
natural  hollow  ;  hills,  which  here  and  there  were 
thickly  wooded,  rose  up  on  every  side  for  some  six 
hundred  feet.  Around  the  lake  grew  turf  and  shady 
bushes,  and  there  was  an  air  of  sanctity  about  the 
place. 

As  we  stood  cooling  in  the  breeze  and  gazing 
on  the  sombre  water,  I  broke  silence  by  saying 
that  we  would  first  visit  the  two  holy  stones,  which 
our  guide  pointed  out  close  by.  They  certainly 
were  rather  awkward  to  negotiate,  but  I  was  the 
first  to  try  to  get  through.  When  halfway  I  stopped 
short,  pulled  a  long  face,  and  shouted,  pretending 
that  I  was  fixed  up.  The  men  were  at  their  wits' 
end,  until  my  laughter  spoilt  the  joke,  which  they 
all  thought  tremendous  fun.  We  next  inspected 
a  rounded  rock  standing  alone  on  the  grass  by  the 
water's  edge.  It  was  actually  sweating  in  the  sun, 
this  being  due  to  the  practice  of  certain  Gallas,  who, 
in  order  to  propitiate  the  spirit  of  the  stone,  deposit 
a  small  dab  of  ghi  on  its  surface. 

We  then  saw,  hidden  in  the  midst  of  cotton 
and  juniper  trees,  a  couple  of  churches,  close  to 
one  of  which  dwelt  a  "fakir."  This  holy  man 
had  spent  his  entire  lifetime  wrapt  in  meditation, 
wanting  neither  money  nor  food,  and  living  entirely 
on  the  grass.  He  was  so  concealed  by  the  thick 
bushes  that  I  could  not  catch  a  sight  of  him, 
though  I  distinctly  heard  his  mumblings.  Whilst 

113  i 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

enjoying  our  luncheon,  three  priests  passed  by, 
who,  on  hearing  that  I  was  Ingliz,  expressed  a 
wish  to  show  me  a  third  church,  where  men  came 
to  worship.  This  sacred  spot  consisted  of  three 
holes  in  the  midst  of  some  rocks,  large  enough  to 
hold  worshippers.  There  was  nothing  remarkable 
in  their  appearance,  but  the  fact  of  men  electing 
to  bow  down  in  such  a  place  struck  me  as  distinctly 
odd.  The  priests  told  me  the  depth  of  the  lake 
was  beyond  measure,  but  I  had  no  means  of  verify- 
ing the  statement.  Its  height  above  the  sea-level 
was  almost  9000  feet,  water  boiling  at  a  temperature 
of  195°  Fahr. 

Christmas  Day  fell  on  a  Sunday,  and  on  coming 
out  from  my  tent,  I  found  all  the  men  drawn  up  in 
line,  waiting  to  salute  me  and  wish  me  a  merry 
Christmas.  In  order  to  celebrate  the  great  day  I 
inaugurated  sports.  We  started  by  hewing  down 
a  tree  and  manufacturing  a  target,  which  we  set 
up  against  the  side  of  a  hill  at  a  distance  of  two 
hundred  yards ;  but  on  seeing  how  small  a  mark 
it  represented  for  the  bullets  of  my  untrained 
followers,  I  remarked,  "  Before  we  begin  to  shoot, 
we  had  better  make  the  target  double  its  present 
size."  But  the  Abyssinians,  with  their  customary 
ignorance  and  brag,  scoffed  at  such  a  notion, 
declaring  that  if  I  did  so,  they  could  hit  it  with 
their  eyes  closed.  So  I  gave  way  to  their  wishes, 
and  commenced  the  competition  by  offering  a 
dollar  for  every  one  who  hit  the  target.  At  the 
end  of  the  practice  the  dollars  were  still  jingling  in 
my  pocket  and  the  target  was  untouched,  much  to 

114 


I  shoot  a  Hippo 

my  own  amusement  and  to  the  chagrin  of  the  rest. 
A  race  round  the  target  and  back  was  the  next 
item  on  the  programme,  entailing  afterwards  much 
drawing  of  thorns  from  the  feet.  Then  came  a 
three-legged  race,  tugs  of  war,  and,  last  of  all,  a  fat 
sheep  for  every  four  men  and  a  glass  of  araki  apiece. 
In  the  evening  all  came  to  sing  and  dance  for 
my  edification,  the  Soudanese  and  Somalis  being 
gifted  with  talent  greatly  in  advance  of  the  poor 
Abyssinians. 

From  Zaquala  we  shifted  our  camp  to  the  banks 
of  the  river  H awash,  the  same  stream  that  I  had 
crossed  on  the  road  from  Harrar  to  Adis  Ababa. 
My  first  introduction  to  the  water  was  inspiriting 
enough,  for  on  the  opposite  bank  lay  a  large 
hippopotamus.  With  my  i2-bore  Riley  I  soon 
sent  a  solid  bullet  into  his  head,  and  as  he  rose,  a 
second  behind  the  shoulder.  He,  however,  just 
managed  to  topple  into  the  water,  and  then  died 
and  sank.  In  one  hour's  time  the  carcass  had 
risen  to  the  surface,  and  by  means  of  ropes  and 
sheer  strength,  we  hauled  him  to  the  shore.  He 
measured  148  inches  from  nose  to  tail.  The  men 
had  no  liking  for  this  meat,  though  several  Gallas 
were  glad  to  be  able  to  take  away  all  they  wanted. 
Lower  down  the  stream  there  were  immense 
numbers  of  these  huge  brutes,  more  fortunate, 
indeed,  than  their  ill-fated  brother,  for  they  were 
destined  for  the  camera  instead  of  the  rifle.  All 
along  the  banks  of  this  part  of  the  river  many 
excellent  roads — entirely  made  by  the  hippos — 
ran  through  the  grass  and  bush.  At  night-time, 

"5 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

they  would  wander  inland  for  a  couple  of  miles  in 
search  of  grass,  twigs,  and  roots,  returning  again  to 
the  water  at  daybreak.  The  meat  is  well  worth 
eating  in  the  absence  of  other  food,  and  the  hide 
provides  most  durable  shoes.  Very  few  of  my 
Abyssinians  had  ever  seen  a  hippo  before. 

The  pleasures  of  camping  on  this  side  of  the 
H awash  river  would  have  satisfied  many  people,  but 
curiosity  led  me  to  explore  the  other  bank,  and  for 
this  purpose  I  took  Mohamed  and  two  Abyssinians. 
After  tramping  down  stream  for  a  few  miles,  I 
decided  to  cross  over,  and  we  all  four  started  to 
wade  to  the  opposite  bank.  Quite  suddenly  we 
found  ourselves  out  of  our  depth — not  that  this  would 
have  mattered  had  only  my  Abyssinians  been  able 
to  swim.  The  one  course  open  to  us  was  to  make 
a  struggle  for  it,  and,  by  dint  of  tremendous  energy, 
we  just  managed  to  reach  shallow  water.  At  the 
time  the  sun  was  hidden  by  clouds,  and  the  men 
were  chattering  and  shivering  from  the  cold.  Fear- 
ing lest  fever  should  attack  them,  I  started  them  all 
at  a  good  swinging  pace.  We  had  not  gone  far 
when  we  saw  a  lion  in  the  dry  yellow  grass  only 
a  few  yards  off. 


lib 


CHAPTER  XII 

FROM  ZAQUALA  TO  LAKE  LAMINA 

A  hot  spring — Arrival  of  my  rifles — Incidents  on  the  road — The 
Arusi  Gallas —  Arrival  at  Lake  Zouai  —Arrival  of  an  official  from 
the  king — A  disagreement  with  Tezaze — A  night  alarm — Arrival 
of  messengers  from  Harrington — Hidden  treasure  in  the  lake — A 
hartebeest  chase. 

WHETHER  my  damp  cartridges  would  have  been 
effective  or  not  I  can't  say,  for  the  lion  bounded 
away,  and  we  never  saw  him  any  more.  Zaquala 
district  is  looked  upon  as  the  home  of  many  lions, 
yet  this  was  the  only  one  I  ever  came  across. 
Whilst  searching  along  the  banks  for  a  ford  of  less 
width  than  the  one  we  had  just  crossed,  we  came 
upon  a  steaming  pool  of  clean  water  surrounded  by 
rocks,  and,  on  further  examination,  discovered  a  hot 
spring,  whose  temperature  I  afterwards  found  to  be 
94°  Fahr.  In  the  pond  were  a  couple  of  fat  ducks, 
luxuriating  in  their  morning's  hot  tub.  They  were 
so  extraordinarily  fat  that  flight  by  wing  was  im- 
possible— showing  how  a  life  of  ease  affects  even 
the  winged  tribe.  I  visited  this  hot  water  on  fre- 
quent occasions  afterwards,  and  always  found  the 
happy  couple  there. 

Our  stay  by   the   river   Hawash  was  of  longer 

117 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

duration  than  I  had  bargained  for,  owing  to  the 
unaccountable  delay  in  the  arrival  of  the  rifles 
from  Aden.  Our  life  was  as  pleasant  and  free  as 
one  could  wish  to  lead,  but  a  waste  of  time.  We 
varied  our  existence  by  living  on  one  bank  and 
then  on  the  other,  then  moving  lower  down  stream. 
We  made  excursions  in  all  directions  over  hills  and 
plains  ;  we  caught  fish  in  abundance,  shot  gazelle, 
guinea-fowl,  partridges,  and  sand-grouse.  When  the 
moon  was  full,  and  as  my  men  were  beginning  to 
want  shoes,  we  waged  battle  by  night  against  the 
hippo ;  and  my  sentries,  who  had  a  habit  of 
picturing  lions  on  the  point  of  seizing  the  mules 
under  cover  of  darkness,  provided  me  with  ineffec- 
tual night  rambles  after  an  imaginary  foe. 

The  Gallas  from  the  neighbourhood  brought  us 
in  daily  supplies,  as  they  had  been  ordered  to  do.  We 
had  abundance  of  everything — sheep,  eggs,  chicken, 
flour,  bread,  tej,  ghi,  milk,  honey,  and  beer.  For  us 
it  was  a  land  of  plenty,  and  our  own  securely  packed 
stores  of  flour  remained  untouched.  Every  morsel 
that  the  Gallas  brought  us  I  paid  for  in  dollars  at 
the  market  rate,  which  perhaps  encouraged  them  to 
increase  their  supplies  beyond  the  powers  of  our 
consumption.  The  Abyssinians  cried  out  bitterly 
against  such  an  unheard-of  procedure.  "  Why  do 
you  pay  them  ?  "  they  asked.  "  They  are  bad  people. 
The  food  is  not  theirs  ;  it  belongs  to  Janhoi,  and 
Janhoi  is  sending  it  to  you."  "  Oh,"  I  replied,  "  it  is 
merely  the  custom  of  the  Ingliz  to  give  as  well  as 
to  receive.  Your  custom  in  some  ways  differs  from 
mine,  so  don't  cry  out."  In  addition  to  our  making 

118 


Arrival  of  my   Rifles 

many  trips  for  shooting  and  exploring,  I  taught  my 
men  how  to  aim,  shoot,  and  clean  their  rifles,  and 
drilled  them,  so  that  they  could  "  present  arms  "  and 
march  in  a  creditable  manner,  and  each  knew  his 
place  and  duty  in  case  of  an  alarm  by  night.  They 
all  took  an  interest  in  drill,  and  many  of  them 
showed  exceptional  intelligence  and  quickness. 
Many  of  my  men  were  very  young — in  fact,  half  of 
them  were  merely  boys ;  but  it  seemed  to  me  that 
useful  soldiers — equal  to  most,  and  better  than 
some,  native  troops — could  be  made  out  of  the 
Abyssinians. 

On  the  iith  of  January,  1899,  we  moved  to 
our  last  camp  on  the  river  Hawash — exactly  north 
of  Lake  Zouai — a  beautiful  spot  at  the  head  of 
a  grand  waterfall.  Bathing  was  the  order  of  the 
day  with  us,  and  it  was  hard  to  say  whether  more 
time  was  spent  in  or  out  of  the  water.  Three  days 
later  definite  news  reached  me  that  the  rifles  would 
arrive  the  following  day ;  so  at  daybreak  I  dis- 
patched the  caravan  with  the  intention  of  following 
alone  on  horseback  on  the  arrival  of  the  rifles,  which 
would  be  brought  on  the  next  day  under  the  care 
of  Shahzad  Mir.  The  march  was  a  waterless  one 
of  seven  or  eight  hours  south  to  the  river  Maki, 
which  flows  eastwards,  and  then  southwards  into 
Lake  Zouai.  The  afternoon  following  the  depar- 
ture of  the  caravan  was  well  advanced,  and  there 
being  no  sign  of  the  rifles,  I  was  preparing  to  start 
on  my  lonely  ride  so  as  to  get  into  camp  before 
nightfall,  when  a  Galla  walked  up  to  me,  offering 
for  sale  a  pony  saddled  and  bitted.  This  was 

119 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

strange,  for  none  of  them  had  cared  to  part  with 
their  ponies,  far  less  their  saddles.  The  pony  was 
good  and  marvellously  cheap,  and  no  sooner  had 
my  purchase  been  effected  than  in  marched  seven 
mules,  loaded  with  thirty-five  Martini- Henri  car- 
bines and  six  boxes  of  ammunition,  in  charge  of 
two  of  my  own  Abyssinians.  I  asked  if  one  of 
them  would  like  to  come  along  with  me  at  once 
and  ride  the  new  pony.  It  was  already  four  o'clock, 
so  we  made  all  possible  haste  along  the  narrow 
track  that  turned  and  twisted  for  ten  miles  round 
the  trees  and  bushes  of  the  forest.  We  then  struck 
a  broader  road,  and  pushed  along  it  faster  than 
before  till  it  bifurcated.  There  was  scarcely  light 
enough  left  for  me  to  distinguish  tracks  in  the  sand 
and  stone,  so  I  hastily  chose  the  left-hand  one,  and, 
after  riding  along  it  for  a  short  distance,  distinctly 
heard  men  calling.  I  imagined  that  they  were  the 
voices  of  my  own  men,  and  that  we  were  approach- 
ing our  own  camp,  but  suddenly  I  caught  sight  of 
a  large  body  of  natives  armed  with  spears,  rushing 
towards  the  road,  where  a  group  of  six  or  eight  men 
were  already  collected.  My  Abyssinian  pulled  up  his 
steed,  and,  while  loading  his  carbine,  exclaimed  in 
an  agitated  tone,  "The  Arusi !  The  Arusi!"  I 
seized  the  rifle  from  him,  and,  giving  him  my  hog- 
spear  in  exchange,  rode  straight  up  to  the  party  by 
the  roadside,  with  the  carbine  carried  in  such  a 
manner  that  the  muzzle  was  purposely  pointing  at 
them.  I  was  asking  them  if  the  road  led  to  the 
river  Maki,  when  a  warning  "  Be  quick,  be  quick  ! " 
from  the  Abyssinian  behind  left  me  no  time  to  wait 

1 20 


The  Conservative  Gallas 

for  a  reply,  and  we  galloped  off  as  hard  as  we  could. 
Scarcely  had  we  gone  a  quarter  of  a  mile  when  we 
met  a  dozen  of  my  own  men  coming  along  at  the 
double,  armed  with  spears  and  guns.  As  darkness 
had  set  in,  and  knowing  that  I  was  only  carrying  a 
spear,  they  had  come  out  to  search  for  me,  fearing 
that  something  had  befallen  me  at  the  hands  of  the 

o 

A  nisi. 

In  the  eyes  of  the  Arusi  Gallas,  the  Abyssinians 
are  a  bad  lot,  this  view  being  possibly  based  on 
the  fact  that  it  took  five  years  to  subjugate  them, 
and  also  because  on  the  last  occasion  when  Menelik 
passed  along  this  road,  three  of  his  followers  were 
speared  by  them.  I  have  no  doubt  whatever  they 
would  repeat  the  performance  were  a  chance 
offered,  but  whether  they  would  have  done  me  any 
harm  is  questionable.  It  is  certain  that  were  the 
Arusis  armed  with  rifles,  they  would  be  a  hard  nut 
for  Menelik  to  crack.  They  live  mostly  in  the  hills, 
and  are  said  to  be  always  on  the  look-out  for  plunder 
and  revenge.  The  Gallas  living  on  the  banks  of  the 
Maki  brought  me  goats  and  milk,  their  sole  means  of 
subsistence.  I  asked  them  why  they  grew  no  crops, 
for  the  soil  was  fertile  and  water  plentiful.  They 
could  only  give  as  a  reason  that  their  fathers  and 
grandfathers  never  had  done  so.  This  may  have 
been  reasonable  when  intertribal  warfare  was  the 
order  of  the  day,  but  as  under  Menelik's  rule  peace 
reigns  and  taxes  are  paid,  there  seems  no  excuse 
for  their  laziness  and  apathy. 

On  the  i6th  of  January,  1899,  just  a  month  since 
leaving  Adis  Ababa,  my  entire  caravan,  consisting 

121 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

of  30  Abyssinians  and  Gallas,  5  Soudanese  and  9 
Somalis,  31  mules,  19  donkeys,  and  n  ponies, 
Shahzad  Mir,  and  my  fox-terrier,  with  a  litter  of 
three  pups,  was  on  the  banks  of  the  river  Maki. 

We  steered  south,  and  the  sun  had  but  just  risen 
when  the  rippled  waters  of  Lake  Zouai  came  into 
sight,  and  my  muleteers,  involuntarily  carried  away 


DINKA  MEN   FISHING. 


by  the  really  beautiful  scene,  spoilt  my  illusions  by 
breaking  into  the  loudest  of  their  most  unmusical 
songs.  As  we  drew  near,  shrill  cries  arose  from 
the  various  water-birds,  and  the  shore  was  alive 
with  partridges  and  guinea-fowl,  whilst  in  the  water 
itself  large  herds  of  hippopotami,  who  had  just 
returned  from  their  nightly  rambles,  were  snorting 
and  playing.  We  marched  along  a  track  on  the 


122 


Tezazo's  Obstinacy 

western  shore,  that  led  us  over  turf  and  under  shady 
trees,  till  the  height  of  the  sun  reminded  me  it  was 
time  to  stop  and  feed  both  man  and  beast. 

At  this  camp  we  were  joined  by  an  official  named 
Tezazo,  coining  direct  from  Menelik.  He  had 
been  specially  dispatched  by  the  king  to  accompany 
me  to  the  southern  extremity  of  Abyssinia,  and  see 
that  I  was  supplied  with  all  I  wanted  and  allowed 
to  go  wherever  I  chose.  Unfortunately,  on  the 
very  first  day  Tezazo  and  I  had  a  difference.  I 
had  made  up  my  mind  to  visit  a  lake  called  Lamina, 
situated  south  of  Zouai,  which  was  unexplored,  and 
whose  inhabitants  were  not  even  subject  to  Menelik, 
whereas  Tezazo  maintained  that  his  orders  were  to 
take  me  through  a  district  called  Wubarakh,  lying 
west  of  Zouai,  and  thence  travel  south  by  a  well- 
known  road.  Though  I  had  permission  from 
Menelik  to  travel  wherever  I  chose,  still  nothing 
would  induce  Tezazo  to  accompany  me ;  and  finally 
we  separated,  I  agreeing  to  meet  him  in  Wubarakh 
on  a  certain  date,  after  having  seen  Lake  Lamina. 
Tezazo  galloped  off,  ostensibly  with  the  intention  of 
waiting  for  me  at  Wubarakh,  but  in  reality  of 
hastening  back  to  the  king  to  complain  of  my 
behaviour.  Not  that  this  would  have  mattered,  for 
in  no  respect  was  I  exceeding  the  privilege  granted 
me.  The  Tezazo  affair,  however,  had  thoroughly 
upset  my  camp,  for  all  the  Abyssinians  were  talking 
amongst  themselves,  some  fearing  to  go  to  Lamina, 
seeing  that  it  was  a  place  where  the  people  did  not 
even  recognize  Menelik,  others  maintaining  that  if 
they  did  go,  they  would  be  acting  in  contravention 

123 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

of  the  king's  orders,  and  would  be  punished  accord- 
ingly. I  again  called  the  whole  of  them  up  before 
me,  and  told  them  that  they  were  now  my  servants, 
having  only  a  few  days  previously  sworn  to  go 
anywhere  with  me.  Now  they  were  wavering.  If 
they  were  afraid,  I  ordered  them  to  stop  where  they 
were  or  go  back  home,  but  to  Lamina  I  should  go, 
even  if  I  went  alone.  I  added  that  if  any  man  was 
punished  by  King  Menelik  for  going  with  me,  I 
would  give  him  a  thousand  dollars  as  compensation. 
They  all  isshed,  bowed,  and  at  once  promised  to 
go  with  me  anywhere.  With  Tezazo's  departure 
and  the  men's  minds  once  more  set  at  ease,  we 
marched  off  again. 

In  the  middle  of  the  night  I  was  aroused  by 
hearing  a  shot  fired,  and,  jumping  up,  found  the 
sentry  with  his  rifle  at  the  "  present,"  on  the 
point  of  pressing  the  trigger  against  a  couple  of 
men  who  were  approaching  our  zareba,  and  whose 
forms  I  could  just  make  out  in  the  darkness.  I 
seized  the  rifle  and  heartily  cuffed  the  man,  for, 
contrary  to  his  instructions,  he  had  stuck  a  cartridge 
in  it.  Had  I  been  a  moment  later  grave  results 
might  have  occurred,  for  the  strangers  were  two 
messengers  from  Harrington,  who  had  come  by  the 
eastern  route,  bringing  me  my  last  batch  of  news. 
At  dawn  we  parted,  they  to  march  home  again 
northwards  and  we  further  away  southwards. 

We  travelled  all  along  the  western  shore  of  this 
fresh- water  lake,  and  I  was  thus  enabled  to  form  a 
fair  judgment  of  its  size  and  to  note  some  of  its 
peculiarities.  There  are  several  islands  in  it.  The 

124 


A   Fruitless  Treasure-Hunt 

following  piece  of  its  history  is  credited  by  most 
people.  About  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth  century, 
Gragn,  or  Grangye,  Mohammed,  a  powerful  chief  of 
Danakil,  invaded  and  devastated  the  country,  and 
hid  for  safety  on  these  islands  an  immense  quantity 
of  treasure,  the  results  of  his  plunder.  This  wealth 
remained  hidden  without  attracting  the  curiosity  of 
any  of  the  Shoan  kings  till  the  beginning  of  this 
century,  when  King  Sahela  Selase,  son  of  Wassan 
Saggad,  and  seventh  king  of  Shoa,  made  determined 
but  ineffectual  attempts  to  recover  these  riches. 
The  treasure  must,  therefore,  still  be  hidden  there 
—a  good  find  for  some  one.  It  was  unfortunate 
for  me  that  the  east  wind  which  blew  caused 
waves  sufficiently  strong  to  swamp  my  little 
canvas  boat,  and  thus  put  an  end  to  all  endeavours 
at  unravelling  the  truth  of  the  legend. 

The  lake  extended  south  for  nearly  thirty  miles, 
and  stood  at  a  height  of  5165  feet  above  the  sea- 
level.  The  climate  was  perfection.  It  seemed  re- 
markable to  me  that  the  Waiyu  Arusi  Gallas  who 
dwelt  in  the  neighbourhood,  and  who  are  subject  to 
Menelik,  had  made  no  use  of  the  water  which  had 
been  given  them  for  irrigating  the  land  and  growing 
crops,  for  the  people  are  exceedingly  poor,  possess- 
ing scarcely  any  clothing.  Beyond  the  possession 
of  a  few  goats,  donkeys  of  good  breed,  and  a  few 
ponies,  they  have  to  a  large  extent  to  depend  upon 
the  chase  for  an  existence.  They  hunt  the  elephant 
and  hartebeest  on  horseback,  and  differ  from  the 
Hamran  Arabs  in  their  method  of  dispatching  their 
victims,  for  they  use  the  spear  instead  of  the  sword. 

125 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

At  the  southern  end  of  the  lake  the  overflow  is 
carried  off  by  the  river  Suksuk,  .which,  at  first, 
taking  a  course  through  rich  alluvial  soil,  afterwards 
cuts  a  channel  for  itself  through  banks  of  chalk 
over  a  hundred  feet  high.  In  this  neighbourhood 
live  the  Gombo  Arusi  Gallas,  who  very  much  re- 
semble the  Waiyu,  and  are  equally  poor.  Still,  they 
brought  me  a  goat  and  so  forth  ;  but  when  I  saw 
my  own  men  leading  into  camp  several  donkeys 
laden  with  the  flesh  of  two  hartebeests  I  had 
killed,  I  returned  the  goat  with  a  donkey-load  of 
meat  besides,  for  the  poor  Gombos  were  in  sore 
need  of  it. 

The  Suksuk  flows  into  a  second  lake  called 
Hora,  which,  in  spite  of  this  continual  supply 
of  fresh  water,  is  strongly  impregnated  with  soda 
or  saltpetre,  and,  excepting  by  travellers,  would  be 
classed  as  undrinkable.  Although  the  Gombo 
Arusi  Gallas  maintain  that  this  water  is  unfit  for 
men,  the  very  fact  that  thousands  of  animals,  from 
an  elephant  down  to  a  snippit,  come  from  far  and 
near  to  drink  it,  as  shown  by  the  marks  along  the 
shore,  at  once  removes  all  fear  as  to  its  noxious 
properties.  I  have  found  this  proof  verified  in 
other  countries — whenever  the  water  of  a  lake  is 
good  enough  for  wild  animals  to  drink,  there  is 
no  harm  in  travellers  drinking  it  as  well.  The 
Gombo  living  by  the  fresh  water  of  the  river 
Suksuk  have  no  need  to  drink  the  brackish  water 
of  Lake  Hora,  and  therefore  call  it  undrinkable. 
Afterwards  I  came  to  tribes  at  Lake  Lamina  who 
drank  only  the  water  of  that  lake,  which  is  far 

126 


Ill  Pursuit  of  Hartebeests 

more  brackish  than    Hora,   and  scarcely  drinkable 
even  for  travellers. 

Most  of  the  Arusi  wear  a  string  round  the 
waist,  so  are  generally  recognizable,  in  the  same  way 
that  an  Abyssinian  may  be  known  by  the  cord  round 
his  neck,  which  is  a  token  of  his  Christianity. 

On  reaching  the  point  where  the  Suksuk  joined 
the  Hera  lake,  a  favourite  haunt  of  the  hippos,  we 
travelled  westwards  along  the  flat,  sandy  banks,  so 
as  to  circumvent  this  large  sheet  of  water.  There 
were  thousands  of  flesh-coloured  birds,  which  rose 
as  we  drew  near,  and  many  antelopes  scattered  off 
across  the  plain,  disturbed  in  their  morning  drink. 
At  the  bend  of  the  lake  we  came  upon  a  hunting- 
party  of  the  Arusi.  They  were  armed  with  spears 
and  shields,  and  were  leading  their  wearied  ponies 
close  by  the  water's  edge.  They  had  been  out  for 
several  days,  and  were  somewhat  disheartened  at 
their  ill-luck  in  finding  no  elephants. 

We  had  not  left  these  people  very  long  when 
we  saw  a  host  of  horsemen  galloping  towards  us. 
My  Abyssinians  were  afraid  we  were  about  to  be 
attacked,  so  I  mounted  my  best  pony  to  reconnoitre, 
and,  after  all,  found  that  our  imaginary  foes  consisted 
of  a  large  hunting-party  driving  before  them  an 
immense  herd  of  hartebeests.  On  they  swept  to- 
wards the  lake  like  a  whirlwind  ;  then  the  horsemen 
split  into  parties,  some  following  the  beasts,  who 
took  to  the  shores  of  the  water,  others  endeavour- 
ing to  get  round  them  or  pursue  small  separate 
bodies  of  them.  As  they  came  close  to  my 
caravan,  the  temptation  was  too  much  for  me,  and 

127 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

seizing-  a  hog-spear,  I  joined  in  the  chase.  After 
a  while  I  found  myself  riding  neck  and  neck  with 
a  single  Arusi,  and  very  close  on  the  rearmost 
hartebeest  of  a  small  herd,  when  whiz  flew  a  spear 
from  the  Galla's  hand,  and,  glancing  from  the  beast's 
back,  fell  harmlessly  to  the  ground.  Try  as  I  would, 
the  pony  could  not  gain  the  two  more  yards  neces- 
sary for  a  thrust,  and  somewhat  reluctantly  I  had  to 
relinquish  the  chase.  Perhaps  it  was  time  too,  for 
Arusi  Gallas  surrounded  me  on  all  sides,  and  my 
own  people  were  out  of  sight.  On  returning  I 
found  the  caravan  halted,  as  three  of  the  ponies, 
regardless  of  the  loads  they  were  carrying,  had,  like 
myself,  been  unable  to  restrain  the  excitement  of 
joining  in  the  chase.  One  poor  pony  broke  his 
spine  over  the  game,  and  had  to  be  shot. 


128 


CHAPTER     XIII 

LAMINA    TO    WALAMO 

Lake  Lamina— I  explore  an  island — A  startling  adventure — Tuki 
Arusi  Gallas — Reception  at  Wubarakh — Meeting  with  Tezazo — 
Galla  raiders — Fulwaz  springs — Arrival  at  Walamo. 

ON  resuming  our  march,  we  worked  round  to  the 
south  again,  and  reached  the  third  lake — Lamina— 
the  one  that  had  caused  my  difference  with  Tezazo. 
Again  we  saw  the  same  clouds  of  flesh-coloured  birds 
and  herds  of  ponderous  but  happy  hippo  disport- 
ing themselves  in  the  exceedingly  brackish  water. 
We  camped  by  the  water's  edge,  and  by  mere 
chance  discovered  close  at  hand  a  couple  of  canoes. 
Although  simply  constructed  of  long  reeds,  they 
were  capable  of  supporting  two  or  three  men  ;  and 
my  Abyssinians  were  soon  in  the  water,  and  enjoy- 
ing a  novel  experience  in  their  endeavour  to  master 
the  art  of  canoeing.  Far  out  into  the  lake  we 
could  see  a  very  strange  island.  It  seemed  to  rise» 
a  mass  of  rocks,  abruptly  from  the  water's  edge,  and 
assuredly  demanded  exploration.  So  I  gathered 
together  my  fleet  of  three  boats.  In  the  canvas  boat 
I  took  Shahzad  Mir,  and  in  the  two  canoes  put  a 
Somali  and  a  Soudanese.  We  first  of  all  rowed 

129  K 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

and  paddled  towards  a  long,  big  island  which  in- 
tervened between  us  and  the  remarkable  spot  we 
were  bound  for.  Here  we  found  the  canoes  too 
heavy  for  transportation  to  the  other  side ;  and  as  a 
paddle  round  the  island  would  have  taken  up  too 
much  time,  we  left  them  on  the  shore  where  we 
landed,  and  contented  ourselves  with  only  carrying 
the  canvas  boat  across.  Having-  .  done  this,  I 

o 

embarked  with  my  Somali,  and  left  Shahzad  Mir 
and  the  Soudanese  on  the  long  island,  telling  them 
to  watch  and  be  ready  to  meet  us  on  our  return. 

For  the  first  hour  of  my  row  there  was  a  strong 
wind  blowing  against  us,  and  the  waves  were  con- 
stantly breaking  into  the  little  boat.  It  seemed 
doubtful  at  times  whether  we  should  accomplish 
our  task  at  all  ;  but  afterwards,  as  we  gained  the 
shelter  of  the  island  itself,  the  work  became  com- 
paratively easy.  We  could  discover  only  one  spot 
suitable  for  landing,  at  the  northern  extremity,  as 
elsewhere  rocks  and  euphorbia  rose  precipitately 
from  the  water's  edge ;  and  at  this  little  harbour,  to 
our  intense  surprise,  we  found  at  least  a  score  of 
canoes  hauled  up  on  to  the  land  and  leaning  up 
against  the  rocks.  These  at  once  told  us  that  the 
island  was  inhabited.  Besides  the  canoes  we  could 
see  no  other  signs  of  life,  and  were  full  of  expecta- 
tions of  what  was  in  store  for  us  ;  so  having  carefully 
landed,  we  first  hauled  our  boat  on  shore,  and  after 
emptying  out  the  water,  placed  it  in  readiness  for 
our  return  journey.  We  then  loaded  our  rifles,  and 
with  our  eyes  and  ears  on  the  qui  vive,  began  to 
cautiously  ascend  the  rocks  by  a  narrow  pathway. 

130 


We  invade  an   Island 

We  had  proceeded  in  silence  only  a  few  hundred 
yards  when  we  were  suddenly  brought  to  a  stand- 
still by  hearing  somebody  "call"  from  above.      It 
was  an  ominous  "  call,"  and  came  as  a  warning  to  us. 
"  Yussuf,"  I  said,  turning  to  my  companion,  "we  must 
not  leave  our  boat  with  nobody  to  look  after  it ;  we 
want  another  man."     So  we  there  and  then  retraced 
our  steps,  unloaded  and  re-embarked.     By  this  time 
the  sun  was  about  to  set.    The  wind  had  completely 
dropped,  and  there  was  scarcely  a  ripple  on  the  sur- 
face of  the  water  as  I  commenced  leisurely  paddling 
back,   enjoying  the  intense  stillness   of  the  even- 
ing, and  wondering  at  the  weird  and  solitary  island, 
now  lit  up  by  the  last  rays  of  the  setting  sun,  when 
suddenly  a  canoe   with  three   savages  shot    round 
the  northern  corner,   followed  by  another,  and  still 
another.     There  were  six  of  them  in  all,  and  there 
could  be    no  doubt   about   it,   they  were  after  us. 
Without  more  ado,   I   pulled   for  all   I   was  worth, 
knowing  that  help  was  awaiting  us  on  the  long  island. 
It  was  a  stern  chase,  and  the  canoes  gained  but  very 
slightly  on  us.     Nearer  and  nearer  we  came  to  the 
island,  and  our  hopes   rose  and  rose   accordingly. 
A  broken  oar  or  damaged  rowlock  would  have  meant 
disaster,  and  such  a  catastrophe  was  not  altogether 
impossible,  as  I  was  pulling  hard  for  so  frail  a  craft. 
"  Can't  you  see  Baba  now  ?  "  I  asked  Yussuf,  Baba 
being  the  name  by  which  they  all  called  Shahzad  Mir. 
"No,"  he  replied,  after  a  pause.  "Gallas — all  Gallas!" 
I    turned    my  head,  and,  true   enough,  saw  naked 
savages  running  through  the  bushes  and  along  the 
sandy  shore,  but  no  sign  of  Baba  or  the  Soudanese. 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

I  rowed  to  within  fifty  yards  of  the  shore,  still  in 
hopes  of  seeing  them  somewhere.  But  I  was  doomed 
to  disappointment.  There  were  only  savages,  who, 
as  they  ran,  shouted  aloud,  "He,  he,  he!"  and 
brandishing  their  spears,  beckoned  to  others,  who 
were  coming  up  from  behind.  Yussuf  grimly 
shook  his  head,  and  quietly  muttered,  "  Baba  mota  " 
(dead). 

Seeing  that  matters  were  becoming  grave,  and 
that  the  savages  were  filled  with  confidence  of  effect- 
ing our  capture  and  death,  I  told  Yussuf  to  call  to 
them,  for  he  knew  the  Galla  dialect,  that  I  should  fire 
unless  they  cleared  off.  The  sun  had  already  set 
some  time,  and  I  felt  that  our  rifles  would  have  been 
but  little  use  in  the  dark,  but  would  be  effective,  if 
needs  be,  as  long  as  the  light  lasted.  On  hearing 
these  words,  the  savages  yelled  and  redoubled  their 
antics,  so  dropping  the  oars  for  a  second,  I  seized  a 
carbine  and  fired.  As  one  man  they  all  fell  to  the 
ground  in  an  instant,  flat  as  a  pack  of  cards — quite  a 
theatrical  performance.  Without  a  minute's  pause  I 
resumed  the  oars,  convinced  that  our  only  chance  of 
escape  lay  in  getting  round  the  island.  The  pull 
seemed  interminable.  The  pursuing  canoes  were 
drawing  closer.  The  savages  on  shore  were  again 
becoming  threatening.  It  was  almost  dark,  and  the 
hippos,  as  is  usual  at  this  hour,  were  grunting  and 
snorting  around  us.  "  Now  direct  me  to  the  light  of 
the  camp,"  I  said  to  Yussuf,  as  we  at  length  rounded 
the  island.  There  was  no  reply  for  a  minute,  and 
then,  to  my  amazement,  the  silence  of  the  evening 
was  broken  by  his  cry  of  "Safer  yellum — Baba 


"  Baba  is  dead  !  ' 

mota"  ("There  is  no  camp,  and  Baba  is  dead"). 
We  could  see  no  camp-lights  at  all,  and  I  rowed 
on  mechanically  for  the  shore,  my  spirits  sinking  to 
zero,  when  Yussuf  roused  me  by  exclaiming, 
"Ashkar!  Ashkar!"  ("Your  men!  Your  men!") 
Looking  round,  I  could  just  distinguish  a  crowd  of 
black  forms  standing  by  the  water's  edge.  My  joy 


RHINOCEROS   BIRDS. 


lasted  but  a  few  moments,  for  on  drawing  nearer,  my 
companion  hoarsely  whispered  in  my  ear,  "  Khoi ! 
khoi!  hullu  Galla ;  safer  yellum— Baba  mota!" 
("  Stop!  stop!  they  are  all  Gallas  ;  there  is  no  camp, 
and  Baba  is  dead  ").  It  then  flashed  across  my  mind 
that  these  wild  and  independent  savages  of  Lamina 
had  surprised  and  taken  my  camp  in  my  absence. 

133 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

It  was  a  crushing  blow — all  my  faithful  servants 
had  been  killed  without  a  fight,  my  own  plans  had 
been  completely  shattered.  I  cursed  and  prayed  as 
I  hastily  turned  the  boat,  resolved  to  have  a  last 
pull  for  it  to  the  southern  end  of  the  lake,  and  there 
endeavour  to  escape  over  the  mainland  under  cover 
of  darkness. 

I  had  just  got  the  boat  round  when  a  cry  from 
the  shore  reached  us.  It  was  my  boy  Mohamed's 
voice,  and  it  turned  out  that  the  dark  group  of 
figures  on  the  shore  were  my  own  ashkar  after 
all.  They  were  all  standing  by  the  edge  of  the 
lake,  in  awe  and  bewilderment.  They  had  already 
given  us  up  as  lost,  but  had  been  without  any 
means  whatever  of  coming  to  our  aid.  As  they 
rushed  forward,  knee-deep  in  the  water,  eagerly 
pressing  around  to  hear  what  had  taken  place  and 
to  help  me  from  the  boat,  two  shots  were  fired  from 
the  long  island.  Had  Baba  fired  them,  or  had  he 
and  the  Soudanese  been  killed,  and  were  their  rifles 
in  the  hands  of  the  savages  ? 

It  was  no  time  for  hesitation.  "  Come  along, 
Mohamed,"  I  cried,  "  and  be  quick — rifles  and  am- 
munition " — for  Mohamed  was  a  sharp  and  fearless 
lad.  In  a  few  seconds  more  I  was  again  pulling 
for  the  long  island,  straining  to  the  utmost,  whilst 
Mohamed  kept  up  a  fusilade  as  a  signal  to  friend 
and  foe  that  help  was  at  hand.  "  Out  you  jump, 
Mohamed,"  I  cried,  as  the  boat  grounded ;  and  we 
were  standing  on  the  island,  confronted  by  Baba 
and  the  Soudanese,  who  though  unable  to  keep 
their  appointment,  had  managed  to  avoid  the  bushes, 

'34 


Friendly  Ladies 

and  keep  the  savages  at  bay  by  boldly  confronting 
them.  The  two  canoes  I  found  just  as  we  had  left 
them,  and  thus  my  little  flotilla  was  enabled  to  sail 
back  to  our  camp  on  the  main  shore  in  the  same 
order  as  we  had  previously  set  out. 

The  next  morning  we  marched  away  in  a  south- 
westerly direction,  and  fell  in  with  the  Tuki  Arusi 
Gallas.  Our  introduction  to  them  was  of  a  most 
charming  nature,  and  was  very  much  appreciated  after 
our  experiences  with  the  savages  of  Lamina  on  the 
previous  day.  When  we  first  met  them  we  chanced 
to  overtake  a  score  of  young  ladies,  shy,  mirthful, 
and  bewitching.  I  felt  a  little  sorrowful  at  seeing 
such  pretty  girls  employed  in  such  menial  work  as 
carrying  gombos  of  water  from  a  small  river  called 
the  Jiddo  to  their  village  two  miles  distant.  At  the 
spot  where  we  overtook  them,  there  chanced  to  be 
good  grazing  for  mules,  and  as  I  gathered  we  should 
find  no  more  water  ahead  for  some  time,  I  inquired 
of  these  damsels  if  they  would  sell  me  their  loads. 
With  shy  smiles  and  smirks  they  readily  consented, 
and  emptied  the  contents  of  their  gombos  into  our 
water-cans,  whilst  I  in  return  offered  them  money. 
None,  however,  would  accept  the  money  without 
permission  from  the  leader  of  the  party,  an  elderly 
and  somewhat  severe-looking  lady.  I  therefore  put 
the  dollars  in  her  hand.  "  We  don't  want  anything," 
she  cried.  "  Why  should  you  pay  us  merely  for  water  ? 
All  we  want  is  a  good  name."  And  this  dear  old  soul 
talked  away  apparently  in  the  most  eloquent  fashion, 
explaining  the  wrong  they  were  all  doing  in  accept- 
ing my  money  merely  for  a  few  pots  of  water,  and, 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

at  the  end  of  the  speech,  persisted  in  handing  back 
to  me  the  price  I  had  paid  for  their  timely  service. 
Such  is  the  character  of  some  so-called  savages 
before  they  are  improved  (?)  by  the  teachings  of 
civilization.  Even  the  accidental  breaking  of  one 
of  the  precious  gombos  evoked  no  feeling  of  bitter- 
ness against  the  cause  of  the  disaster,  but  merely  occa- 
sioned amusement. 

In  comparing  the  Tuki  Arusi  Gallas  with  the 
savages  of  Lamina,  one  cannot  help  but  perceive 
the  effects  of  the  rule  of  Menelik,  who,  I  am  told, 
has  a  particular  liking  for  these  people.  These 
Gallas,  who  are  named  after  their  headman  Tuki, 
though  no  agriculturists,  are  better  able  to  keep 
body  and  soul  together  than  their  eastern  confreres. 
They  add  to  their  livelihood  by  collecting  the  white 
crust  from  the  edges  of  Lake  Lamina,  and  buying 
grain  from  the  Guragues  living  still  further  west. 
They  are  also  keen  hunters.  If  they  kill  an  ele- 
phant, one  tusk  is  sent  to  Menelik,  and  the  other 
they  sell  to  men  from  Adis  Ababa  for  forty 
or  fifty  dollars  or  a  cow,  according  to  the  size. 
Menelik  in  return  for  every  tusk  gives  them  a  ring, 
to  be  worn  in  the  lobe  of  the  ear.  Some  of  the  men 
wore  metal  bands  round  the  wrist,  each  representing 
the  death  of  a  lion,  elephant,  or  man. 

After  leaving  these  friendly  people  we  came  to 
other  small  tribes,  the  Addari  and  Waragi,  and 
travelled  through  magnificent  park-like  country, 
watered  by  the  Jiddo  (also  called  the  Dijo  or 
Sheriftu),  and  plentifully  stocked  with  game — large 
and  small  koodoos,  hartebeest,  gazelle,  and  elephants. 

136 


Tezazo's  Change  of  Front 

We  then  camped  under  a  fine  shady  "  vvarka"  tree 
by  the  running1  water.  We  were  now  very  near 
the  district  of  Wubarakh,  where  we  were  to  meet 
Tezazo.  I  therefore  sent  a  messenger  to  the  shum 
(official)  of  Wubarakh,  informing  him  of  my  where- 
abouts. This  man,  Ratta  by  name,  proved  himself 
to  be  a  particularly  decent  and  well-mannered  fellow. 
He  liberally  provided  me  with  supplies,  at  the  same 
time  refusing  any  recompense.  He  told  me  that  he 
had  received  orders  from  the  king  to  do  his  very 
best  for  me,  and  to  help  me  to  travel  by  any  route  I 
chose,  and  to  show  me  anything  else  I  wished  to 
see.  Whilst  chatting  on  the  country  in  general,  he 
admitted  and  several  times  expressed  his  regret  at 
the  gross  ignorance  of  matters  in  general  common  to 
all  Abyssinians. 

The  Guragues  (Gallas)  over  whom  this  shum 
ruled  were  evidently  contented  with  their  lot ;  they 
were  fat  and  cheery,  and  looked  very  different  to 
the  poor  Waiyu  and  Arusi  Gallas. 

Tezazo,  although  a  day  behind  time,  in  other 
respects  kept  his  appointment,  and  met  me  as 
arranged.  As  I  had  anticipated,  he  had  interviewed 
the  king,  with  the  result  that  Tezazo's  demeanour 
was  changed.  His  only  idea  now  was  to  agree 
entirely  with  all  my  proposals,  and  do  his  best  to  help 
me  carry  them  out.  He  said  that  the  king  had 
impressed  upon  him  that  I  was  to  have  an  absolutely 
free  hand  to  travel  in  any  direction  I  wanted,  and 
that  if  I  elected  to  go  to  Rudolf,  I  was  to  have  a 
guard  of  a  hundred  soldiers  as  far  as  the  lake. 
Henceforth,  from  that  day  till  we  reached  the 

137 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

southern  borders  of  Abyssinia,  Tezazo  spared  him- 
self no  trouble  in  carrying  out  my  wishes,  and  in 
helping-  me  on  every  possible  occasion  to  overcome 
any  difficulties  that  arose.  Never  studying  his  own 
comforts,  he  was  generosity  itself;  and  when  he  left 
me  some  weeks  later  to  return  to  the  king,  with 
tears  streaming  down  his  cheeks  and  a  lump  in  his 
throat,  I  knew  I  had  lost  a  very  staunch  friend,  and 
we  all  regretted  his  departure. 

Leaving  Wubarakh  on  our  right,  we  took  a 
road  never  previously  traversed  by  any  European, 
and  after  crossing  over  open  plains  of  grass  and 
bush-land,  forded  the  river  Shashago.  In  this  part 
of  the  country  Galla  horsemen  'from  the  east  are  in 
the  habit  of  organizing  raiding  parties,  and  sometimes 
come  in  conflict  with  the  Abyssinians.  We  only  saw 
a  couple  of  these  gentlemen,  who  were  possibly  the 
scouts  of  a  larger  party,  but  they  wisely  made  off  on 
seeing  so  well-equipped  a  caravan.  The  general 
trend  of  this  country  is  southwards  towards  a  lake 
district,  and  not  eastwards  towards  Lake  Lamina,  as 
was  generally  supposed.  We  marched  well  to  the  west 
of  the  Shashago  river,  though  I  should  say  a  better 
road  would  be  found  along  the  river  banks,  and  finally 
came  to  a  hot  spring  called  Fulwaz,  in  the  district 
of  Kambata.  The  hot  vapour  was  rising  from  the 
ground  in  such  dense  volumes  that  at  first  I  imagined 
the  grass  had  been  set  on  fire.  Close  by  a  party  of 
Gallas  had  made  a  temporary  home,  for  the  waters 
are  held  in  high  estimation  for  their  medicinal  pro- 
perties. The  pond  was  about  twenty  yards  in 
diameter,  with  rocky  banks  six  feet  high,  and 

138 


Hot-water  Treatment 

everywhere  the  water  was  bubbling  up  and  hissing 
at  a  temperature  of  158°  Fahr.  There  was  one  par- 
ticular spot  resembling-  a  well  with  the  top  boarded 
over,  and  as  I  listened  I  could  hear  the  water  below 
steaming  and  bubbling  in  the  most  furious  manner. 
The  rocks  on  which  we  stood  had  been  stained  to  a 
brownish-reddish  hue.  There  was  a  smaller  pool 
trickling  into  the  larger  one,  whose  temperature  was 
bearable,  and  here  sick  people  sat  all  day  long  and 
boiled.  Several  of  my  own  men,  who  had  recently 
overeaten  themselves,  stewed  for  some  hours,  and 
afterwards  presented  themselves  before  me  just  like 
a  troop  of  lobsters.  It  happened  that  my  terrier 
Lady  unwittingly  put  one  of  her  hind  legs  into  the 
big  pool,  and  screamed  as  though  the  Prince  of 
Darkness  had  himself  got  hold  of  her.  There  is  a 
certain  amount  of  convenience  gained  by  camping 
in  close  proximity  to  such  a  remarkable  cauldron  as 
this,  as  boiling  water  in  any  quantity  is  ready  at  all 
hours.  Two  days  afterwards  I  came  across  a  young 
Galla  who  had  completed  his  course  of  stewing.  He 
bore  such  a  boiled  appearance  that  his  eyes  seemed 
to  stand  right  out  of  his  head.  I  cannot  recommend 
the  treatment  for  enhancing  one's  personal  beauty. 

The  natives  of  Kambata  are  extremely  badly 
off,  as  they  scarcely  cultivate  at  all,  and  possess 
no  cattle.  Their  miserable  condition  is  largely  due 
to  their  own  bad  behaviour.  As  they  are  always 
on  the  qui  vive  to  cut  the  throats  of  solitary  Abys- 
sinians  who  may  cross  their  path,  they  cannot 
expect  to  receive  the  same  consideration  from  the 
Abyssinians  as  their  better-disposed  neighbours. 

139 


CHAPTER     XIV 

WALAMO    TO    TENCHA 

Arrival  at  Walamo — The  chambetta — The  Walamo  market — Visit  to 
Damota — The  devil  zone — Baroda — My  musical  box  and  the 
officials — The  overthrow  of  the  Walamo — Reception  by  the 
chief  of  Baroda — Reception  by  Fitarauri  — Gamo. 

FROM  Kambata  we  had  an  eight  hours'  waterless 
march  into  the  district  of  Walamo,  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  parts  of  Abyssinia.  Our  first  glimpse  of 
it  was  at  Damota,  a  fine  hill  with  its  base  covered 
with  trees,  where  the  Abyssinians  have  planted  a 
post,  the  headquarters  of  the  Walamo  district.  The 
hill  itself  is  said  to  be  very  rich  in  minerals  of  many 
kinds,  though  I  have  no  proof  of  such  actually  being 
the  case.  The  soil,  much  of  which  is  of  red  ochre 
colour,  is  extremely  fertile,  and  those  portions  that 
are  not  covered  with  fine  timber  or  crops,  produce  a 
multitude  of  flowers  and  good  grass.  In  addition 
to  the  usual  crops,  Walamo  grows  more  particularly 
banana  palms,  tobacco,  limes,  ginger,  raspberries, 
and  a  delicious  vegetable  called  godari.  The  whole 
country  is  hilly,  and  intersected  by  many  small 
streams  of  bright  water.  When  riding,  it  is  always 
advisable  to  keep  to  the  tracks,  for  in  addition  to 
the  rivulets  being  often  difficult  to  cross,  there  still 

140 


The  Walamo   Market 

exist  everywhere  the  "chambetta."  These  are 
successive  rows  of  little  pits,  dug  in  close  proximity 
to  one  another,  and  resembling  our  military  obstacles. 
They  were  constructed  by  the  Gallas  of  Walamo  to 
baffle  King  Menelik's  cavalry  when  he  took  the 
country  about  four  years  ago,  and,  to  judge  from 
their  awkward-looking  appearance,  they  must  have 
done  good  work. 

The  inhabitants  of  this  district  supplied  me 
plentifully  with  sheep,  eggs,  fowl,  ghi,  bread,  milk, 
tej,  and  honey,  and  themselves  appeared  happy, 
contented,  and  well  fed.  The  district  of  Walamo 
has  a  fine  climate,  and  should,  with  proper  develop- 
ment and  the  facilities  of  communication  and  trans- 
port, become  exceedingly  prosperous.  Leaving  our 
camp  by  a  grove  of  palms,  I  strolled  off  to  the 
gobiyeh,  or  market,  where  business  was  in  full 
swing.  But  I  attracted  so  much  attention  that 
buying  and  selling  for  the  time  being  ceased,  as  all 
flocked  to  look  at  so  novel  a  sight  as  an  Englishman. 
The  crowd  became  so  thick  that  I  had  to  undergo 
the  scrutiny  of  hundreds  before  getting  a  chance  of 
taking  a  look  round.  The  people  had  erected  tem- 
porary stalls  by  sticking  branches  of  trees  into  the 
ground,  and,  squatting  alongside  of  them,  displayed 
their  gooJs  for  sale.  These  chiefly  consisted  of 
dhura,  or  mashillah,  barley,  ginger,  onions,  skins, 
cotton,  talla  or  beer  gombos,  ghi,  buttons,  and  beads 
(chiefly  blue  ones),  cattle,  sheep,  goats  and  ponies. 
A  purchase  was  made  by  means  of  "dormas."  A 
dorma  is  a  thin  piece  of  iron  with  one  end  bent, 
measuring  about  two  feet  long  and  one  inch  broad. 

141 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

Fifteen  of  them  go  to  a  dollar.  For  every  transac- 
tion a  small  tax  is  exacted,  either  in  the  shape  of  a 
pinch  of  cotton  or  a  piece  of  ginger,  or  zingerbil,  as 
it  is  called. 

From  the  market  I  cantered   over  to  the  post 
at  Damota  hill,  half  a  dozen  miles  distant.      Here 


MARKET-DAY   AT   WALAMO. 


resided  two  Galla  shums,  secure  within  a  strong 
stockade.  On  a  few  words  from  Tezazo,  the  faces 
of  these  two  old  savages  changed  from  wonderment 
to  goodwill.  They  conducted  me  to  their  own 
dwelling,  showering  kisses  on  my  hands  as  they  led 
the  way.  They  were,  in  fact,  so  persistent  in  this 
objectionable  form  of  demonstrating  their  friendship 
that  I  stuck  my  hands  in  my  pockets,  and  kept  them 

142 


Perilous  Eating 

there.  Inside  the  stockade  I  found  Gallas  and 
Abyssinians  living  amicably  together,  and  jointly 
administering  justice  throughout  the  district.  In 
spite  of  the  luxuriance  and  rich  beauty  of  Walamo, 
it  seems  to  be  a  generally  accepted  fact  that  the 


HOUSE  AT  WALAMO — DEVIL-INFESTED  REGION. 

natives  of  Walamo  are  capable  of  imparting  a  devil, 
or  gin,  into  the  bodies  of  strangers  who  come  there, 
more  especially  if  they  are  permitted  to  be  present 
while  the  stranger  partakes  of  food.  If  such  were 
indeed  the  case,  there  was  the  danger  of  my  entire 
caravan  becoming  devil-possessed — a  most  serious 

'43 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

drawback  to  my  further  progress.  Though  my 
Abyssinians  had  on  several  occasions  mentioned  the 
subject  to  me,  I  quite  pooh-poohed  such  an  idea,  and 
laughed  at  them  for  their  superstitions,  and  thought 
nothing  of  it.  In  fact,  when  I  was  inside  the  "  in- 
fected zone  "  I  never  gave  the  matter  any  considera- 
tion for  a  moment,  for,  being  alone,  I  had  far  too 
much  to  do  to  worry  myself  about  the  complicated 
and  mysterious  powers  of  hidden  devils. 

Yet,  curiously  enough,  on  returning  from  my 
visit  to  the  stockade,  I  found  one  of  my  Somalis 
in  a  very  remarkable  condition.  His  look  was  that 
of  a  wild  man ;  at .  times  he  would  talk  and  rave 
utter  nonsense,  now  and  then  ejaculating  the  word 
"  Walamo,"  and  occasionally  shaking  from  head  to 
foot.  The  men  told  me  that  he  had,  when  I  saw 
him,  quieted  down  a  bit,  for  when  the  attack  com- 
menced, he  had  rushed  into  camp  from  the  bushes, 
screaming  aloud  that  "  they "  were  all  after  him. 
As  far  as  I  could  learn  from  the  man  afterwards, 
he  had  seen  in  the  bushes  close  to  our  camp  no 
end  of  Walamo  savages  armed  with  knives,  who 
had  suddenly  made  a  rush  at  him  from  all  sides. 
I  administered  some  tea  and  a  strong  aperient, 
and  afterwards  a  tonic,  and  the  next  day  the  victim 
was  on  a  fair  way  to  recovery,  and  I  thought  little 
more  about  him,  till  one  morning,  as  we  were  on 
the  march,  he  suddenly  drew  a  knife  and  rushed 
about,  crying  out  that  he  was  going  to  kill  them 
all,  meaning  the  men  he  had  seen  in  the  bush. 
He  was  possessed  of  such  strength  that  it  took  five 
men  to  catch  him  and  bring  him  quietly  along. 

144 


I   defy  the   Devil 

Strange  to  say,  on  camping  at  the  end  of  our  march, 
he  set  about  unloading  in  the  usual  way  as  though 
nothing  had  happened  to  him  ;  but  for  some  weeks 
he  was  liable  to  attacks  from  the  Walamo  gin,  when 
he  became  decidedly  dangerous.  Thus  I  had  to 
deprive  him  of  his  rifle  and  have  him  secretly 
watched. 

Of  course,  the  moment  my  followers  saw  the  con- 
dition the  Somali  was  in,  they  maintained  he  was 
possessed  of  a  Walamo  devil.  I  therefore  had  mis- 
givings as  to  the  effect  it  would  have  on  their  minds  ; 
and  in  order  to  dispel  their  doubts,  and  prove  to 
them  the  absurdity  of  it  all,  I  told  them  that  I  myself 
would  purposely  eat  a  meal  before  the  natives  of 
Walamo,  and  they  might  then  see  that  no  devil 
would  seize  me.  The  Abyssinians  themselves  had 
been  most  careful  to  eat  their  food  unobserved,  and 
were  equally  anxious  that  I  too  should  not  fall  a 
victim  through  want  of  care.  It  was  the  custom  of 
the  natives  of  Walamo  every  morning  to  bring  me 
in  supplies,  when  perhaps  over  a  hundred  men 
would  come  into  camp.  So  when  the  entire  party 
had  arrived,  and  out  of  natural  curiosity  had  all  their 
eyes  fixed  on  me,  I  put  my  little  table  outside  my  tent 
and  called  for  breakfast.  This  consisted  of  mutton- 
chops,  unleavened  bread,  and  honey  and  tea.  I 
finished  my  meal  much  to  my  own  gratification, 
but  to  the  great  displeasure  of  my  followers. 

Now  comes  the  strange  part  of  it  all.  The  next 
day  I  felt  strangely  unwell,  and  was  altogether  "  off 
colour "  and  "  off  food."  I  felt  I  was  undergoing 
the  tortures  of  a  bad  sailer  on  a  rough  sea.  This, 

145  L 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

too,  was  the  only  day  on  which  I  felt  unwell  through 
the  whole  of  my  journey,  but  I  took  good  care  to 
keep  my  ailings  to  myself.  It  has  been  suggested 
to  me  that  poison  was  placed  in  my  food,  but  this  I 
can  most  emphatically  deny.  At  the  time  I  was  in 
what  is  sometimes  called  "  rude  health,"  and  cannot 
even  now  understand  why,  the  day  after  my  meal 
with  the  Walamo  gentry,  it  received  such  an  un- 
welcome shock.  A  few  days  later — one  evening- 
one  of  my  Soudanese  was  possessed  of  the  "Walamo 
devil."  He  was  a  powerful  fellow,  and  it  was  only 
after  he  had  inflicted  several  wounds  on  three  of  my 
men  that  we  were  able  to  secure  and  bind  him  with 
ropes.  Even  then  it  took  several  men  to  hold  him 
down.  He  struggled  in  the  most  violent  manner, 
and,  shaking  his  head,  called  aloud,  "  Walamo ! 
Walamo  !  Walamo  ! "  On  his  recovery  he  affirmed 
that  he  knew  the  Walamo  native  who  had  caused 
his  madness ;  the  man  was  a  grass-cutter,  and  had 
seen  him  in  the  act  of  eating  a  piece  of  bread. 

It  is  a  curious  fact  that  my  Abyssinians,  who 
alone  were  acquainted  with  the  powers  of  the  Walamo 
devils,  were  the  only  ones  who  escaped  their  in- 
fluence. Possibly  the  cause  may  be  put  down  to 
the  condition  of  the  water  of  these  regions,  which 
is  undoubtedly  impregnated  with  certain  metals. 
While  this  might  affect  the  Soudanese  or  Somali's 
or  myself,  it  would  in  no  way  hurt  my  Abyssinians, 
who  in  addition  to  having  stomachs  like  ostriches, 
would  be  unharmed  by  water  of  this  description, 
owing  to  their  being  accustomed  to  it  perhaps  in 
other  districts  from  childhood.  With  regard  to  my 

146 


The   Musical  Box 

own  peculiar  condition,  it  has  been  suggested  to  me 
that  at  the  time  of  my  famous  meal  I  was  under- 
going great  mental  strain.  I  must  say,  however, 
that  during  the  breakfast  I  was  unaware  of  this,  as 
at  that  time  I  regarded  the  Walamo  devils  and 
their  craft  as  being  well  inside  the  sphere  of 
imagination. 

Probably  more  light  than  I  can  throw  on  the 
subject  will  be  found  in  the  pages  of  a  book  written 
by  the  Rev.  John  L.  Nevius,  D.D.,  entitled, 
"  Demon  Possessions  and  Allied  Themes,"  where 
coincidences  of  an  identical  nature  in  the  far  dis- 
tant and  very  different  land  of  China  are  ably 
described. 

From  Walamo  we  marched  to  Baroda,  along 
broad  sandy  roads  shaded  with  magnificent  foliage, 
through  which  we  got  peeps  of  the  glorious  country 
on  either  hand. 

As  we  were  traversing  the  water-shed  that 
separates  the  chain  of  lakes  on  our  left,  or  east, 
from  the  river  Womo,  or  Omo,  on  our  right,  we 
were  visited  in  camp  by  a  number  of  Galla  officials, 
who  brought  me  no  end  of  the  usual  supplies  as 
presents.  When  the  officials,  their  followers,  and 
the  bearers  had  assembled,  I  produced  my  musical 
box  before  the  immense  crowd.  On  hearing  it,  the 
shums  maintained  that  it  was  worked  from  heaven, 
and  bowed  before  it.  They  had  never  previously 
set  eyes  on  any  white  man,  and  being  interested 
with  all  they  saw,  prolonged  their  stay,  so  that  to 
get  rid  of  them  politely  was  no  easy  matter.  Still, 
they  were  genuine  good  fellows,  and  highly  pleased 

147 


A  Quick  Recovery 

with  a  knife  I  presented  to  each  of  them.  I  also 
distributed  money  to  the  poor  people  who  had 
carried  the  supplies. 

On  marching  off  the  next  morning,  they  overtook 
us  along  the  road  to  bid  us  God-speed,  and  to  give 
my  boy  Mohamed  a  beautiful  shamma  and  myself  a 
sack  of  ropes,  for  they  heard  I  was  in  need  of  them. 
This  showed  us  the  sincerity  of  their  hospitality  and 
generosity,  for  they  knew  well  enough  that  on  the 
march  I  could  give  them  nothing  in  return.  The 
names  of  these  four  good  Galla  chiefs  were  Albazo, 
Chabarasha,  Akimbo,  and  Aricho. 

We  continued  to  travel  through  the  same  fertile 
and  red-soiled  country,  passing  several  more  gobi- 
yehs.  Close  to  one  of  these  markets  where  we 
had  camped,  I  found  one  of  my  own  men  by  the 
roadside  in  great  pain.  The  Abyssinians  said  that 
he  would  surely  die.  I  knew  what  had  happened. 
The  unfortunate  man  had  first  gorged  himself  with 
meat,  and  afterwards,  to  an  inordinate  extent, 
imbibed  beer  at  the  market.  Thus,  being  over- 
heated, the  extra  warmth  of  the  midday  sun  had 
completely  overpowered  him.  The  outward  heat 
was  soon  overcome  by  placing  him  in  the  shade, 
and  I  then  proceeded  to  dispel  the  inward  heat 
by  applying  doses  of  ipecacuanha  and  water.  Pre- 
sently his  friends  came  running  to  me  saying  that 
he  was  very  ill,  and  that  my  medicine  was  causing 
his  death.  I  walked  over  to  where  the  man  lay( 
laughing  at  them  as  we  went,  for  I  knew  the  medi- 
cine was  doing  its  work  well.  On  arrival,  we  found 
the  invalid  completely  recovered,  and  faith  was 

149 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik . 

established  in  my  Burroughs  and  Welcome  medicine 
chest  for  the  remainder  of  the  journey. 

Very  early  in  the  morning  an  uproarious  hyena 
came  pounding  along  close  to  our  camp,  howling 
in  the  most  extraordinary  fashion.  So  terrifying 
were  its  cries  that  some  of  the  Abyssinians  became 
alarmed,  and  got  up.  They  said  the  Walamo  people 
had  been  transformed,  and  returned  in  the  shape  of 
a  hyena.  I  told  them  that  the  arrival  of  such  an 
early  visitor  every  morning  would  be  an  admirable 
institution,  as  it  would  save  me  the  trouble  of 
routing  them  out. 

I  am  told  that  Walamo  has  acknowledged  the 
suzerainty  of  King  Menelik  only  within  the  last  four 
years.  Although  the  Negus  had  previously  made 
unsuccessful  attempts  to  subjugate  the  country,  his 
last  effort  was  completely  successful.  He  first  de- 
spatched an  envoy  to  the  inhabitants,  to  inquire 
whether  they  intended  fighting  or  whether  they 
would  submit  peaceably.  On  hearing  of  their  resolve 
to  oppose  him,  he  collected  a  powerful  force  of 
cavalry,  and  camped  with  them  in  the  very  heart 
of  the  district,  thence  despatching  several  bodies  of 
cavalry  into  every  quarter.  So  skilfully  were  his 
plans  organized  and  carried  out,  that  in  one  day 
the  whole  of  Walamo  was  totally  overthrown,  and 
the  inhabitants  became  from  that  day  subjects  of 
King  Menelik.  Many  of  the  natives  were  killed, 
and  the  Abyssinians  themselves  lost  heavily  from 
the  spears  of  the  enemy,  who  lay  hidden  in  the  bush. 

The  boundary  between  the  districts  of  Walamo 
and  Baroda  is  marked  by  a  stream,  and  by  the 

150 


A  Notable  Escort 

erection  of  a  wooden  archway  over  the  road  itself. 
Throughout  Baroda  I  met  with  every  civility  from 
the  natives,  who  greet  strangers  with  the  word 
"  ashum,"  or  "surro,"  and  also  from  the  head  of 
the  district,  Magero,  a  bulky  Galla  six  feet  high. 
He  lived  on  a  beautiful  and  well-cultivated  hill 
ornamented  with  trees,  grassy  slopes,  and  brooks. 
On  my  entering  his  neat  and  cleanly  dwelling,  built 
within  the  usual  stockade,  he  rose  from  the  angareb, 
and  gave  me  a  very  cordial  reception.  On  reading 
the  king's  letter  which  Tezazo  placed  in  his  hands, 
he  became  more  anxious  than  ever  to  prove  his 
friendliness,  and  insisted  on  escorting  me  back  to 
camp.  Preceded  by  his  shawm  and  reed  players, 
our  combined  parties  .made  up  quite  a  formidable 
procession.  Afterwards  he  sent  me  a  hundred  men 
laden  with  food  and  drink. 

The  hilly  district  of  Baroda  afforded  us  superb 
views  of  the  beautiful  lake  Abai  on  the  left,  the 
mountain  boundary  line  of  Kudja  on  our  right,  and 
the  hilly  district  of  Gamo  ahead,  where  we  could 
just  distinguish  a  distant  Abyssinian  post  perched 
high  up  on  the  loftiest  mountain-peak.  After 
magnificent  travelling  over  the  mountains,  I  was 
met  on  the  road  by  a  crowd  of  Abyssinian  horse- 
men. These  officials  had  been  despatched  by  the 
Abyssinian  general,  Fitarauri  Duri,  to  conduct  me 
to  a  suitable  camping-ground.  Already  a  capacious 
and  snow-white  tent  had  been  pitched  on  the  green 
turf  on  the  edge  of  a  clump  of  tall  trees  for  my 
special  benefit ;  and  as  soon  as  the  men  had  unloaded 
the  animals,  they  fell  in  four  abreast,  and  with 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

myself  riding  in  the  rear,  we  were  escorted  to  the 
house  of  the  general.  On  the  way  we  were  met  by  a 
large  body  of  Abyssinians  and  Gallas  armed  with 
guns  and  spears,  many  of  whom  were  on  horseback, 
and  all  decked  out  in  their  most  gorgeous  attire. 
Many  wore  coloured  satin  shirts  and  skins,  and 
others  had  fastened  round  their  heads  a  wreath  of 
lion's  hair.  They  were  indeed  a  savage  yet  pic- 
turesque-looking lot.  As  we  drew  near  our  desti- 
nation, they  opened  out,  so  as  to  allow  us  to  pass 
through,  and  then  formed  up  again  in  rear,  so  that 
by  the  time  we  reached  the  general's  stockade,  I 
felt  like  the  hero  of  a  triumphant  procession. 

Fitarauri  Duri,  who  is  a  middle-aged  man  gifted 
with  a  kind  face,  good  heart,  and  charming  manners, 
received  me  with  much  friendliness,  and  led  me  to 
the  seat  of  honour  in  front  of  the  wood  fire  that 
was  burning  inside  his  clean  and  roomy  circular 
abode.  After  an  interesting  chat,  all  my  followers 
trooped  in,  and  sitting  down  in  groups  round  the 
baskets  of  injerras,  were  feasted  after  the  Abys- 
sinian fashion  in  the  most  liberal  manner.  With 
Duri  dwelt  the  Galla  chief  whose  father  had 
formerly  ruled  this  part  of  the  country.  During 
the  afternoon  the  Fitarauri  returned  my  visit,  but 
not  in  the  same  empty-handed  way  in  which  I 
had  entered  his  house,  for  with  him  came  three 
hundred  men  laden  with  supplies,  as  well  as 
several  head  of  cattle  and  sheep.  I  vainly  pro- 
tested against  such  excessive  liberality,  explain- 
ing to  him  that  had  I  double  the  number  of  men 
the  food  he  had  given  me  would  exceed  our 

152 


Fruitful  Gamo 

requirements.  I  begged  him  to  accept  a  rifle  as 
a  token  of  my  appreciation.  "  Oh,"  replied  the 
general,  "  whatever  supplies  you  do  not  need  you 
can  give  to  the  poor,  for  there  are  plenty  of  them  ; 
and  as  to  accepting  a  rifle  from  you,  I  will  take 
absolutely  nothing,  because  you  have  a  long  journey 
before  you,  and  will  require  all  you  have." 

The  land  of  Gamo  appeared  to  me  a  veritable 
fairy-land  ;  the  country  was  magnificent,  and  the 
views  of  lake  and  mountain  grand.  Some  of  the 
high-lying  grassy  slopes  brought  back  to  mind 
the  land  of  Mongolia,  other  portions  rivalled  with 
the  choicest  bits  of  Kashmir,  whilst  much,  in- 
cluding the  fine  lake,  was  peculiar  to  the  country 
itself.  The  air,  too,  was  bracing  and  bright.  In 
addition  to  all  these  charms  provided  by  nature, 
here,  too,  were  men,  liberal-minded  and  kind- 
hearted,  whose  one  object  was  to  help  us  and  to 
make  our  stay  enjoyable.  In  this  they  succeeded, 
and  we  were  as  happy  a  party  as  one  could  wish 
to  see.  Again  I  remembered  that  the  men  who 
freely  did  so  much  for  us  were  Abyssinians,  and 
I  maintain  that  in  Abyssinia  there  are  just  as 
good  men  to  be  found  as  there  are  in  any  other 
country.  At  night-time  our  camp  was  protected 
from  entirely  imaginary  dangers  by  the  close  prox- 
imity of  six  other  tents,  each  crammed  with  soldiers, 
by  order  of  the  Fitarauri.  One  of  the  latter's  officers, 
too,  offered  the  services  of  himself  and  his  following, 
a  hundred  strong,  as  an  escort  along  the  road. 


'53 


CHAPTER  XV 

» 

TRAVELLING    TOWARDS    THE    UNKNOWN 

Reception  at  Tencha — Lady  visitors — My  tea-party— A  visit  from 
Duri — An  Abyssinian  concert — Malcontents  in  the  camp — The 
scene  of  Sacchi's  murder — A  Mohammedan  festival. 

THE  next  Abyssinian  post  we  came  to  was 
Tencha,  commanded  by  Fitarauri  Imani  and  his  two 
officials,  Tagla  Gurgis  and  Kasa.  We  were  met  on 
the  road  by  the  general  himself,  his  musicians,  and 
his  army,  arrayed  with  all  the  pomp  and  circumstance 
of  war,  and  conducted  to  a  grove  of  trees,  where,  on 
a  gentle  slope  of  green  turf,  a  large  tent  had  already 
been  pitched  for  me.  I  had  intended  moving  the 
next  morning,  but  the  general  and  his  people  showed 
me  such  extreme  kindness,  and  we  were  camped  in 
such  a  bewitching  spot,  that  I  was  unable  to  tear 
myself  away  ;  besides,  it  would  have  been  selfish  of 
me  to  have  disregarded  their  desire  of  making  our 
stay  as  pleasant  and  comfortable  as  possible.  On 
both  days  my  entire  party  were  again  feasted  in  the 
most  generous  way,  and  supplies  were  lavishly 
poured  into  camp. 

I   chanced,  on  the   second  day,   to  be  looking 
round  the    market  when   some  of  my   men   came 

154 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

running  up  to  tell  me  that  some  lady  visitors 
were  waiting  outside  my  tent !  That  was,  indeed, 
good  news,  but  who  could  they  be  ?  I  felt  untidy, 
unkempt,  and  unprepared  for  receiving  the  fair  sex, 
but  I  doubled  back  to  camp  with  all  speed,  anxious 
not  to  tax  to  too  great  an  extent  the  patience 
of  my  lady  visitors.  My  exertions  were  rewarded, 
for,  standing  just  outside  my  tent,  I  found  a  bevy 
of  comely  ladies.  My  visitors  were  the  wife  of 
Fitarauri  Duri,  and  her  lady  attendants.  She  had 
heard  of  my  passing  through,  and  had  come  on 
purpose  to  see  me.  Of  course  I  apologized  for  my 
stupid  absence,  and  conducted  her  and  some  of  her 
attendants  inside  my  tent.  She  was  a  good-looking 
woman,  with  captivating  ways,  and  by  the  number 
of  intelligent  questions  she  put  to  me,  she  displayed 
an  intellect  of  no  mean  order.  In  fact,  I  regret  to 
have  to  make  the  confession  that  my  own  was 
hardly  equal  to  replying  to  all  her  questions.  Tea 
was  then  brought  in — the  very  first  cup  of  tea  she 
had  ever  tasted — a  tin  of  biscuits — also  a  novelty- 
followed  by  the  musical  box,  and  finally  the  medicine 
chest.  We  were  well  in  the  midst  of  a  very  enjoy- 
able afternoon,  when  it  was  suddenly  announced 
that  the  Fitarauri  was  coming.  "  Oh,  oh ! "  my 
guest  cried,  as  she  rose  and  swallowed  the  last  sweet 
dregs  in  the  tea-cup.  In  another  moment  we  had 
shaken  hands,  bidden  farewell,  she  had  mounted  her 
mule,  and  with  her  attendants  was  gone.  No  sooner 
had  she  disappeared  than  her  husband  was  seen 
approaching  from  the  opposite  direction.  But  why 
on  earth  was  he  coming  to  see  me  again  ?  That 

156 


Wife  and   Mule 

puzzled  me,  as  we  had  already  said  our  final  fare- 
wells. Was  he  in  a  towering  rage  with  me  over  the 
fair  visitor  who  had  just  fled  ?  Duri  rode  up  with 
the  usual  benign  smile.  I  at  once  told  him  of  the 

a 

unexpected  way  in  which  I  had  been  honoured  that 
very  afternoon.  He  was  highly  amused  at  my  little 
tea-party,  particularly  on  hearing  the  cause  of  his 
wife's  hasty  withdrawal.  Duri's  purpose  in  visiting 
me  was  to  present  me  with  a  magnificent  grey 
mule,  already  saddled  and  bridled.  It  was,  in  fact, 
one  of  the  finest  mules  I  had  seen  in  Abyssinia.  I 
only  hoped  he  would  show  equal  consideration  for 
his  pretty  wife,  and  I  do  not  see  how  he  could  act 
otherwise. 

Fitarauri  Imani  was  at  this  time  in  command 
of  all  the  posts  in  Southern  Abyssinia,  many  of 
which  are  so  cleverly  placed  that  every  road  into 
the  country  is  effectively  guarded.  There  is,  more- 
over, a  system  of  communication  between  each  post, 
so  that  a  force  of  several  thousand  rifles  could  be 
concentrated  at  any  one  point,  in  a  very  short  space 
of  time.  As  an  instance,  one  has  merely  to  record 
the  disastrous  failure  that  befell  the  Italian  Bottego 
when  he  attempted  to  force  his  way  through  the 
country  from  the  south.  During  our  conversations, 
Imani  inquired  much  about  England  and  the  English 
people,  at  the  same  time  deploring  the  condition  of 
his  own  countrymen,  comparing  them  to  stolid  cows, 
ignorant  of  everything.  As  we  looked  over  the 
maps  together,  and  I  pointed  out  to  him  my  intended 
route,  he  thoughtfully  remarked,  "  I  will  write  a 
letter  for  you,  and  if  by  chance  you  come  across  any 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

Abyssinians  east  of  the  Nile  and  north  of  Rudolf, 
and  show  them  this  letter,  every  assistance  will  be 
afforded  you,  otherwise  you  might  find  yourself  in 
difficulties,  for  they  cannot  have  received  intimation 
of  your  coming."  Among  other  handsome  presents 
that  Imani  vainly  pressed  me  to  accept  was  the  large, 
comfortable  tent  he  had  pitched  for  me,  together 
with  a  couple  of  mules  to  carry  it.  I  was,  however, 
compelled  to  accept  a  first-rate  pony.  In  return  for 
so  much  generosity,  I  could  not  induce  Imani  to 
accept  anything  whatever.  However,  I  left  with 
him  one  of  Lady's  pups,  which,  I  am  sure,  will  live 
a  life  of  luxury,  as  a  special  house  was  built  for  him, 
and  my  advice  with  regard  to  feeding  and  washing 
was  carefully  noted. 

In  the  evening,  a  compliment  of  the  highest 
order — one  usually  reserved  for  kings  only — was 
paid  me  by  the  Fitaraun,  who  sent  round  his  own 
musicians  to  play  in  my  tent  after  dark.  In  order 
to  make  the  most  of  the  performance,  I  illuminated 
the  place  with  candles,  and,  calling  my  followers 
inside,  prepared  to  listen  to  the  music.  There 
were  altogether  eight  players,  half  Soudanese  and 
Habesha  by  birth,  who  displayed  considerable  skill 
with  their  bamboo  instruments.  They  played  and 
danced  simultaneously,  and  the  programme  ter- 
minated with  some  clever  acrobatic  tricks,  which 
amused  us  all  till  it  was  time  for  bed. 

As  we  left  this  important  post  at  daybreak,  we 
were  escorted  by  fifty  mounted  soldiers,  and  followed 
by  a  long  string  of  Gallas  carrying  our  extra  sup- 
plies. Our  march  was  through  a  grand  hilly 

158 


A   Mutiny   quelled 

country.  We  had  not  long  settled  down  in  our 
next  camp,  when  certain  of  my  men  came  to  inform 
me  that  Tezazo  had  been  telling  the  Abyssinians 
on  no  account  to  go  with  me  further  on  my  travels ; 
and  that,  if  they  did  so,  Menelik  would  surely  cut 
their  hands  off.  Such  a  ridiculous  fabrication  as  this 
I  could  not  for  a  moment  allow  to  pass,  especially 
as  I  was  thoroughly  convinced  that  amongst  my 
followers  there  were  two  or  three  black  sheep  who 
were  upsetting  the  minds  of  others  by  spreading  false 
rumours.  Without  more  ado,  I  summoned  Tezazo 
to  my  tent,  together  with  the  men  who  had  brought 
me  the  information.  As  might  have  been  ex- 
pected, the  meeting  was  productive  of  nothing 
but  a  scene  of  wrathful  accusations  and  denials. 
However,  I  was  determined  to  fight  the  black  sheep 
in  my  flock,  whoever  they  might  be,  and  give  them 
no  further  opportunity  of  mischief,  so  I  made  it 
known  that  I  was  immediately  riding  back  to  Imani 
to  ask  him  to  supply  me  with  a  written  statement 
guaranteeing  the  safety  of  all  men  who  went  with 
me,  and  assuring  them  that  they  would  not  be 
punished  for  doing  so.  Imani  received  me  with 
the  usual  hearty  welcome,  and  willingly  gave  me 
every  possible  assistance. 

On  reaching  camp  again,  I  was  greeted  by  a 
salutation  from  the  whole  of  my  men,  who  were 
drawn  up  in  line  ready  to  receive  me.  It  transpired 
that,  during  my  absence,  they  had  held  a  general 
consultation  a  short  distance  from  the  camp,  and 
had  one  and  all  decided  to  go  anywhere  with  me. 
Again  I  called  my  men  before  me,  and  carefully 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

explained  to  them  exactly  the  extent  of  the  journey 
we  were  about  to  undertake.  I  told  them  that  I 
was  well  aware  that  amongst  them  there  were 
two  or  three  malcontents  who  had  caused  the 
present  dissatisfaction,  and  added  that  once  again 
—but  for  the  last  time — I  gave  one  or  all  the  option 
of  returning  to  Addis  Ababa  if  they  wished,  but 
to  remember  that  if  they  elected  to  turn  back  after 
this,  they  would  do  so  at  their  own  risk  and  without 
receiving  any  pay.  As  though  my  words  had  been 
anticipated,  they  all  "  ishhed,"  and  once  more  swore 
to  follow  me  anywhere,  whilst  one  or  two  of  them, 
probably  the  black  sheep,  cried  and  bent  down  to 
kiss  my  feet,  but  I  sternly  walked  away,  and  refused 
to  accept  their  belated  protestations  of  loyalty. 

It  must  not  be  gathered  from  this  that  much 
blame  was  really  to  be  attached  to  my  Abyssinians. 
Abyssinians,  unlike  Somalis  and  Soudanese,  are 
quite  unused  to  travel  beyond  the  limits  of  their 
own  land,  and,  generally  speaking,  never  leave  their 
homes  unless  on  a  raiding  expedition,  and  conse- 
quently have  not  the  slightest  conception  of 
anything  outside  their  immediate  surroundings. 
Moreover,  my  men  had  perhaps  never  seen  more 
than  half  a  dozen  Englishmen  in  their  lives,  and  it 
will  therefore  be  readily  understood  that  I  was 
asking  a  good  deal  in  expecting  these  Abyssinians 
to  go  for  a  two-thousand  mile  tramp  through  an 
unknown  land.  We  were  about  to  penetrate  right 
into  the  midst  of  and  beyond  tribes  raided  by 
their  own  countrymen,  who  would  never  think  of 
doing  this  without  a  force  several  hundreds  strong. 

160 


A  Lofty  Camp 

Even  in  these  raids,  the  Abyssinians  had  not 
penetrated  beyond  the  northern  end  of  Lake 
Gallop,  and  the  few  Abyssinians  I  came  across 
who  had  had  even  a  glimpse  of  this  large  sheet 
of  water  were  extremely  proud  of  the  fact. 

Having  put  matters  on  a  proper  basis  with  my 


MY  CAMP   IN   GAMO. 


people,  we  once  more  resumed  our  march.  After 
a  long  climb  through  a  superb  country,  very  similar 
to  Kashmir,  we  camped  at  a  height  of  almost  9000 
feet  above  sea-level.  My  own  tent  was  pitched 
close  to  some  rocks  on  the  very  edge  of  a  steep, 
grassy  slope  which  dropped  precipitately  many 
hundreds  of  feet  to  the  valley  below,  which  led  to 
the  beautiful  lake  Abai.  Behind  us  green  rocky 

161  M 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

hills  rose  for  1500  feet  higher.  I  could  easily 
distinguish  two  small  islands  in  the  lake,  and  was 
told  by  one  of  my  Soudanese,  who  was  present  at 
the  time,  that  it  was  opposite  these  islands  on  the 
main  shore  that  the  Italian  doctor,  Sacchi,  had  been 
killed  and  buried  by  the  Abyssinians.  He  had 
been  a  member  of  Bottego's  expedition,  and  met 
his  death  while  endeavouring  to  recover  some  ivory 
he  had  previously  deposited  in  a  certain  spot. 

We  had  no  sooner  pitched  our  camp  than  we 
were  enveloped  in  thick  clouds  and  a  drenching  rain, 
so  that  the  hills  behind  and  the  valleys  below  were 
completely  lost  to  view.  Everything  was  dripping 
and  cold,  and  I  sat  in  my  tent  wrapped  in  an 
overcoat,  wiping  my  nose  and  stamping  my  feet, 
and  thinking  enviously  of  those  who  were  in  a 
more  genial  climate.  Such  are  the  vagaries  of 
tropical  Africa !  Towards  evening,  when  the  rain 
fortunately  ceased,  we  saw  Kaneazmach  Salilih,  with 
a  large  following,  approaching  over  the  hills,  and 
as  they  were  some  distance  off,  we  had  ample  time 
to  make  preparations  for  his  reception.  My  men, 
drawn  up  in  two  lines,  formed  an  avenue  for  the 
general.  Meanwhile  I  put  my  tent  in  order,  placed 
the  whisky  handy,  and  prepared  tea.  Salilih,  who 
is  an  elderly  looking  man,  at  first  struck  me  as 
being  somewhat  cold  in  his  manner  (the  inclemency 
of  the  weather  was  perhaps  responsible  for  this), 
for  after  some  conversation  and  some  whisky,  he 
thawed  considerably,  and  finally  took  his  departure 
in  a  very  cheerful  frame  of  mind.  It  certainly  was 
no  trivial  task  for  him  to  come  so  long  a  distance 

162 


Sons  of  the   Prophet 

in  such  dreadful  weather,  and  his  kindly  considera- 
tion was  proved  by  the  fact  that  he  brought  with 
him  four  cows,  nine  sheep,  and  a  large  quantity 
of  supplies  for  me. 

We  remained  an  extra  day  in  this  camp,  as  my 
Mohamedan  Somali's  and  Soudanese  begged  me  to 
allow  them  to  celebrate  their  great  day,  Sunday,  the 
1 2th  of  February.  In  the  still  early  morning  I 
could  hear  these  faithful  followers  of  the  Prophet 
praying  by  the  rivulet  which  adjoined  our  camp. 
They  then  began  a  weird  chant,  and,  as  they  did 
so,  proceeded  in  line  towards  my  tent,  where  they 
halted  and  saluted  by  shouldering  and  presenting 
arms. 


'63 


CHAPTER  XVI 

IN    UNKNOWN    ABYSSINIA 

Fitarauri  Degafi — A  courteous  visit  — A  lofty  camp — An  invitation 
from  the  Galla  queen — We  leave  the  mountains — Primaeval 
forest — An  imposing  caravan — An  interrupted  elephant  hunt — 
Charged  by  a  rhino — Hammer  Koki  hills — I  again  lecture  my 
escort. 

OUR  road  now  skirted  the  steep  side  of  a  range  of 
hills,  and  commanded  a  view  of  the  lake.  This  road 
had  only  been  constructed  eighteen  months  pre- 
viously by  Galla  labour,  under  the  order  and  super- 
vision of  Waldo  Gorgis,  and  it  reflected  credit  on 
his  engineering  capabilities.  All  over  the  hillsides 
grew  wild  raspberries,  trees  known  as  ulkufa,  re- 
sembling our  chestnuts,  the  handsome  kusso  tree, 
bamboos  and  eucalyptus,  with  bracken,  and  a  count- 
less profusion  of  flowers  and  undergrowth.  Beyond 
this,  we  had  some  back-breaking  hills  to  negotiate, 
and  my  caravan  was  consequently  scattered  along 
at  least  a  couple  of  miles  of  country.  Rain  fell 
during  the  greater  part  of  the  morning,  so  that  the 
animals  slipped  and  strained  in  the  most  distressing 
manner  over  the  steep,  slippery  mud. 

At  this  stage  I  was  met  by  a  body  of  officials 
from  Fitarauri  Degafi,  inviting  me  to  his  post,  where 

164 


The  Courteous  Degafi 

grain  for  the  animals  and  food  for  the  men  were 
awaiting  us.  I  had  reluctantly  to  send  back  word, 
that,  owing  to  the  rain,  and  the  long,  hilly  road,  it 
was  impossible  for  us  to  come  to  him  till  the  next 
day.  On  finding  a  convenient  spot,  we  then  and 
there  pitched  our  camp,  much  to  the  satisfaction  of 
those  who  were  struggling  on  in  the  rear.  Later  on, 
we  saw  Fitarauri  Degafi  himself,  with  a  large  force, 
moving  over  the  grassy  slopes  towards  us.  They 
made  a  very  pretty  picture  with  the  sun  shining  on 
their  clean  red  and  white  shammas,  their  green, 
yellow,  and  other  coloured  silks,  and  their  richly 
caparisoned  ponies.  I  was  annoyed  that  we  had 
been  unable  to  reach  this  general's  station,  and  felt 
quite  undeserving  of  so  much  consideration  on  his 
part,  for  this  large  body  of  gorgeously  attired  horse- 
men had  come  several  miles,  merely  on  my  account. 
Owing  to  the  lateness  of  the  hour,  they  would,  more- 
over, only  be  able  to  spend  a  few  minutes  in  my 
camp.  Yet  Degafi  by  no  means  shared  my  views 
on  this  matter,  and  equalled  his  brother  generals  in 
kindness,  politeness,  and  generosity. 

It  was  drizzling  the  next  morning  when  we 
reached  the  camping-ground  which  had  been  pre- 
pared for  us,  where  two  big  black  tents  had  already 
been  pitched.  This  proved  to  be  our  highest  camp. 
It  stood  over  ten  thousand  feet  high  above  sea  level, 
and  opposite  the  spur  on  which  the  Abyssinian 
post  was  built.  As  we  set  about  arranging  our 
camp  in  the  soft,  wet  grass,  with  numbed  hands  and 
feet,  a  messenger  arrived  from  Degafi  in  hot  haste, 
begging  us  all  to  come  over  to  breakfast  at  once. 

165 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

We  were  very  soon  decked  out  in  our  best,  and 
marching  off  in  full  swing  towards  the  town  and  the 
general's  house,  where  we  were  welcomed  by  a  log 
fire,  and  received  and  feasted  in  the  most  open- 
handed  manner.  Fitarauri  Degafi  talked  with  me 
for  a  long  time  about  the  country  in  general,  my 
intended  route,  and  the  Italian  expedition  under 
Bottego,  with  whose  actions  and  fate  he  was  well 
acquainted.  Degafi  was  an  exceptionally  well-in- 
formed man  for  an  Abyssinian,  able  to  read  and 
write,  and  he  readily  learnt  to  understand  the  use  of 
the  compass  with  the  map.  Among  other  gifts,  he 
insisted  on  my  accepting  an  exceedingly  handsome 
mule  and  a  useful  pony,  which  were  brought  into 
the  house  itself  for  my  inspection. 

This  was  the  last  Abyssinian  post  of  any  import- 
tance  that  we  should  see,  and  the  next  morning  at 
daybreak  we  moved  on.  Regardless  of  the  cold 
and  the  early  hour,  Degafi  was  up  to  see  us  off, 
and  Tezazo,  the  faithful  Tezazo,  bade  his  last  and 
sad  farewell,  much  to  the  regret  of  all.  With  him, 
too,  went  our  musical  box,  which  had  amused  so 
many  friends  along  our  road.  I  had  sent  it  by  him 
as  a  present  to  Fitarauri  Duri,  who,  with  a  beaming 
face,  had  declared  that  he  could  listen  all  day  and 
all  night  to  the  tune  of  "  Daisy,  Daisy,"  whilst  his 
wife  had  been  equally  amused  with  the  instrument 

We  were  still  travelling  through  the  beautiful 
district  of  Gamo,  with  its  hills  and  red  soil,  its  clay 
and  rocks,  flints  and  iron,  its  forests,  hamlets,  and 
cultivation,  and  wherever  we  went  abundant  supplies 
were  brought  in  to  us,  which  made  me  often  pity  the 

166 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

poor  Gallas  of  these  parts,  some  of  whom — almost 
starving  and  naked — were  always  eagerly  waiting  to 
pounce  down  upon  any  tiny  morsel  of  food  that 
might  perchance  be  left  behind  in  our  deserted 
camps. 

At  this  period  we  had  reached  the  limit  where 
dollars  could  be  used,  and  all  transactions  had,  there- 
fore, to  be  carried  out  by  exchange  of  goods.  I 
had  received  an  invitation  to  pay  a  visit  to  Queen 
Mishery,  whose  husband,  a  short  time  ago,  had  been 
king  of  all  the  Gallas ;  but  interesting  as  this  visit 
would  have  been,  I  had  to  forego  it,  as  she  dwelt  on 
a  lofty  hill  somewhat  off  our  route,  and  several  of 
the  animals  were  already  beginning  to  feel  the 
strain  of  so  much  climbing.  On  reaching  a  place 
called  Busa  in  Gamo,  the  centre  of  a  big  market, 
Fitarauri  Imani's  soldiers  returned  to  their  post,  and 
a  fresh  force  was  requisitioned  for  me,  by  order  of 
the  Shum,  Garni,  and  Tawaz,  the  principal  military 
official.  These  men  were  to  accompany  me  nomi- 
nally as  far  as  the  river  Womo  or  Omo.  The 
road  beyond  Busa  continued  to  run  over  the  hills, 
in  a  direction  too  much  to  the  eastward  to  suit  me, 
so  I  explained  to  the  officials  that  I  intended 
leaving  the  mountains,  and  descending  to  the 
plains,  where  I  could  see  good  country  stretching 
away  in  the  direction  I  wished  to  go.  They  main- 
tained there  was  no  other  way  excepting  the  one 
over  the  hills  ;  but  I  knew  that  their  sole  reason  for 
this  statement  lay  in  the  fact  that  they  had  never 
attempted  any  other  route.  Still  thinking  to  dissuade 
me  from  my  purpose,  they  argued  that,  in  any  case, 

168 


My  Caravan  increases 

the  road  I  wanted  to  follow  was  only  a  track  made 
by  elephants,  who  roamed  over  the  plains.  "  That 
is  excellent,"  I  replied ;  "  where  an  elephant  can 
walk,  a  mule  can  go."  So  they  laughed  and  gave 
way. 

The  two  hours'  march  down  the  hills  would 
certainly  have  been  a  trying  one  had  I  not  organ- 
ized a  small  pioneer  corps,  armed  with  axes  and 
stout  poles.  Taking  the  lead  myself,  I  set  out  with 
them,  in  advance  of  the  caravan.  By  this  arrange- 
ment, we  managed  to  cut  down  trees,  and  remove 
obstructing  rocks,  without  causing  any  delay  or  in- 
convenience to  the  caravan.  At  the  foot  of  the 
hills  we  travelled  through  a  primaeval  forest  abound- 
ing with  tracks  of  elephants  and  rhinoceros.  My 
caravan,  by  this  time,  might  almost  have  been 
called  an  imposing  one,  for,  in  addition  to  my  sixty 
animals  and  forty  odd  men,  there  were  quite  two 
hundred  Gallas,  laden  with  supplies  for  us,  a  flock  of 
sheep,  and  nearly  thirty  head  of  cattle,  as  well  as  the 
fifty  soldiers,  many  of  whom  were  mounted,  and 
their  large  crowd  of  Galla  bearers.  At  sunset,  three 
separate  camps  were  formed,  when  the  flickering  of 
innumerable  little  fires  and  the  indistinct  murmuring 
of  so  many  voices  alone  disturbed  the  silence  of  the 
night.  Most  of  my  Galla  bearers  wore  no  clothing 
at  all ;  muscular,  big-limbed  fellows  as  they  were, 
they  scarcely  ate  enough  to  keep  a  cat  alive. 

At  first  we  found  the  plains  unpleasantly  hot 
after  the  cool  hills.  After  marching  across  them  for 
two  days,  it  was  agreed  that  the  Gallas  should  return 
home  again,  owing  to  the  uncertain  attitude  of  the 

169 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

tribes  in  front  of  us.  On  the  eve  of  their  departure, 
I  sent  them  a  sack  of  flour,  and  they,  poor  fellows, 
unaccustomed  to  such  treatment,  celebrated  the 
occasion  by  singing  loud  and  long  into  the  night. 

After  their  departure,  our  next  march  brought 
us  to  an  enchanting  grassy  valley  which  disappeared 
among  the  hills.  Close  by  our  camp  flowed  a  clear 
stream,  plentifully  stocked  with  excellent  fish,  and 
along  the  banks  grew  delightfully  shady  trees.  The 
neighbouring  forest  provided  a  happy  home  for 
koodoo,  buffalo,  zebras,  and  elephants,  as  well  as 
vast  quantities  of  guinea-fowl  and  partridges,  From 
this  point,  the  soldiers  wanted  to  take  me  by  a  long, 
circuitous  route  over  the  spurs  of  the  hills,  instead 
of  straight  across  the  plains,  maintaining  that  there 
were  no  other  roads,  and  that  even  if  there  were,  we 
should  find  no  grass  or  water  on  the  plains.  Know- 
ing quite  well  the  hatred  Abyssinians  have  of 
leaving  their  hills,  and  being,  moreover,  certain  that 
the  stream  by  whose  banks  we  had  camped  flowed 
into  the  valley,  I  told  them  that  I  intended  spying 
out  the  land  for  myself,  and  with  that  object  made  a 
trip  to  a  certain  hill  some  miles  distant,  from  the 
top  of  which  I  could  distinctly  see  green  grass  and 
water  in  the  direction  of  Hammer  Koki,  whither  we 
were  bound.  On  hearing  this,  the  soldiers,  as  a 
last  resort,  said  they  knew  the  waters  to  be  saltish  ; 
but  as  I  was  well  aware  they  had  never  been  there 
to  see,  I  replied  that  that  would  suit  me  admirably, 
as  many  of  the  animals  just  at  that  time  were  much 
in  need  of  salt.  We  therefore  marched  across  the 
plain  to  the  broad  shallow  flowing  water  I  had  seen, 

170 


Abyssinian   Elephant-hunters 

This  river  flows  into  Lake  Stefanie,  or,  more  pro- 
perly speaking,  Lake  Chouwaha,  for  that  is  the  name 
by  which  it  is  locally  known. 

Curiously  enough,  we  came  upon  a  dead  elephant 
not  very  far  from  the  river.  It  was  in  a  kneeling 
position,  and,  to  judge  from  its  appearance,  it  had 
evidently  only  quite  recently  died  a  natural  death. 
The  skin  was  entire,  and  a  great  deal  of  the  flesh 
still  remained.  The  soldiers  said  it  had  been  killed 
by  lions,  though  they  could  point  to  no  sign  proving 
that  such  was  the  case. 

Situated  west  of  us,  there  was  a  valley  bounded 
by  the  Hammer  Koki  range  of  hills  inhabited  by 
certain  Gallas  who  refuse  to  acknowledge  Menelik 
as  king.  I  took  a  party  of  four  men  to  spend  a 
day  shooting  in  the  valley,  and  we  soon  discovered 
perfectly  fresh  tracks  of  elephants  and  rhinoceros. 
As  we  were  about  to  follow  them,  we  were  surprised 
to  hear  continual  firing  from  the  direction  of  our 
camp.  Being  unable  to  understand  what  had  hap- 
pened, we  abandoned  our  shooting,  and  hastened 
back  with  all  speed,  half  expecting  to  find  fighting 
in  progress  Judge  of  my  thorough  disgust  when  I 
learnt  that  a  large  hunting  party  of  Abyssinians, 
taking  advantage  of  my  presence  in  the  valley,  had 
followed  in  our  wake,  bent  upon  killing  elephants. 

The  Abyssinian  method  of  exterminating  these 
fine  brutes  is  quite  opposed  to  our  ideas  of  sport, 
for  from  a  safe  distance  an  entire  party  fifty  or 
a  hundred  strong  pepper  the  victims  with  volleys, 
and  sometimes  meet  with  success.  An  Abys- 
sinian who  has  killed  an  elephant  is  looked  upon 

171 


'Twixt   Sirdar  and   Menelik 

in  the  country  as  a  man  of  some  parts.  Menelik 
himself  on  one  occasion  shot  one,  and  there  were 
rejoicings  in  consequence.  I  was  told  that  he 
fired  the  first  shot,  and  then  three  hundred  men 
fired  the  second.  We  must  hope  that  the  second 
was  altogether  superfluous,  and  that  the  first  had 
done  its  work  well.  I  was  naturally  annoyed 
with  the  people  who  had  thus  spoilt  our  morning 
shoot,  and  having  quieted  them  for  the  remainder 
of  the  day,  sallied  forth  a  second  time.  Whilst 
pursuing  elephant  tracks,  I  saw  a  rhinoceros  quietly 
walk  into  a  thicket  unaware  of  our  presence.  I  had 
no  difficulty  in  coming  up  to  him,  and  then  fired 
both  barrels  at  him  from  a  distance  of  ten  yards. 
With  an  angry  snort,  he  rushed  straight  at  me  like  a 
thunder-bolt.  In  an  instant  I  had  stepped  aside,  and 
then  saw  the  heavy  monster  go  thundering  on.  We 
had  no  time  left  to  come  up  to  our  elephants,  but 
we  saw  a  giraffe,  some  hartebeests,  oryx,  and  other 
game. 

We  travelled  to  the  foot  of  the  Hammer  Koki 
hills,  where  dried-up  thorn  bush,  with  rocks  and 
flints,  predominated.  At  this  spot  the  mule  I  was 
riding,  the  gift  of  Duri,  without  warning,  took 
fright  and  dashed  off  at  full  speed  as  straight  as  an 
arrow.  Luckily  he  ran  into  the  middle  of  a  dense 
thorn  bush,  and  considering  the  rocks  and  trees 
we  so  nearly  encountered  on  our  mad  career,  let  me 
off  lightly,  with  a  severe  scratching. 

The  independent  Gallas  who  dwelt  here,  though 
possessing  a  few  sheep,  are  exceedingly  poor. 
During  the  rains  they  rear  a  little  crop,  but  only 

172 


The   Stolen   Sheep 

sufficient  to  last  them  for  a  very  few  months.  In 
order  to  supplement  this  scanty  fare,  they  move 
down  to  the  riverside  and  catch  fish,  besides  col- 
lecting certain  eatable  grasses  that  grow  on  the 
banks.  Formerly,  they  were  the  owners  of  many 
head  of  cattle,  but  now  all  have  been  raided  by  the 
Abyssinians.  At  nightfall  they  brought  for  our 
animals  grass  which  they  had  cut  from  some 
distance  off,  and  in  return  for  their  trouble  I  pre- 
sented them  with  cloth,  much  to  the  disgust  of  the 
Habesha  soldiers,  who,  acting  up  to  their  traditional 
habits,  had  taken  advantage  of  the  strength  of  our 
combined  force,  and  seized  some  sheep  from  the 
harmless  natives.  I  was  very  angry  with  them, 
and  protested  against  such  cowardly  behaviour, 
telling  them  that  when  news  of  their  actions  reached 
the  ears  of  Janhoi,  he  would  put  the  blame  on  my 
shoulders,  and  that  I,  on  my  part,  would  send  him 
a  letter,  explaining  how  the  robbery  was  committed 
by  his  own  soldiers  against  my  wishes.  Once  more 
I  warned  them  that  if  they  wanted  to  loot  they  must 
leave  me  at  once,  and  do  it  alone,  for  I  knew  quite 
well  they  dared  not  have  done  so  by  themselves. 
They  agreed  that  it  was  always  the  custom  of  the 
Habesha  to  loot  the  Gallas  of  these  parts  ;  but  I 
merely  repeated  what  I  had  already  said,  and  left 
them  to  think  over  my  words.  The  result  was,  at 
any  rate,  satisfactory,  for  they  forthwith  returned  the 
sheep. 


173 


CHAPTER   XVII 

DISPUTES    WITH    THE    ABYSSINIAN    ESCORT 

A  needless  alarm — A  dispute  with  the  officers — They  leave  me — We 
find  water — Another  Abyssinian  escort — A  further  dispute — We 
release  two  prisoners — Arrival  of  further  Abyssinians — Hammer 
Koki  Gallas — Towards  Lake  Stefanie — A  mysterious  watering- 
place — The  nations  of  Alibori — Abyssinian  raids — A  moonlight 
journey  through  marble  hills — Gold-bearing  stones. 

IT  was  always  our  custom  to  bring  into  camp  at 
sunset  the  mules  which  had  been  out  grazing,  but 
this  evening  there  was  no  sign  of  their  coming,  and 
my  men  began  to  get  anxious,  saying  that  they  had 
been  taken  by  the  Shangkallas.  Suddenly  we 
heard  three  shots  fired ;  at  the  same  moment  a 
man  rushed  up  shouting,  "  Rifles,  rifles  !  We  shall  all 
be  killed."  I  ordered  him  to  sit  down  and  eat  his 
supper,  and  after  appropriating  his  rifle,  despatched 
half  a  dozen  men  towards  the  direction  of  the  firing, 
to  find  out  the  cause  of  the  trouble.  It  soon  trans- 
pired that  it  was  nothing  more  serious  than  that 
the  mule-keepers  had  started  back  homewards  too 
late  in  the  day,  and  had  lost  their  way. 

At  this  stage  the  soldiers  and  I  had  a  difference 
of  opinion  as  to  which  road  we  ought  to  take.  They 
only  knew  of  one  route  that  led  over  the  Hammer 

174 


A  Cantankerous  Escort 

Koki  hills,  and  stoutly  declared  that  there  was 
absolutely  no  other.  I  explored  the  road  they 
advocated,  but  I  found  it  to  be  very  steep  and 
stony,  and  almost  impracticable  for  loaded  animals. 
Even  had  it  been  less  uninviting,  I  had  at  so  early 
a  period  in  the  journey  no  desire  of  wasting  the 
strength  of  men  and  animals  by  unnecessary 
climbing,  and  so  definitely  told  the  officers  that  the 
road  on  the  hills  was  totally  unsuitable,  and  that  I 
intended  finding  a  way  round  them.  They  replied 
that  if  I  attempted  such  a  course,  we  should  not  find  a 
drop  of  water,  and  should  all  be  dead  in  a  few  days  ; 
to  which  I  replied  that  if  I  followed  their  advice  and 
went  by  the  hill  road,  the  mules  would  be  dead  in 
twenty-four  hours. 

Throughout  the  night  I  could  hear  the  soldiers 
talking  in  high-pitched  tones  over  our  contro- 
versy, and  wondering  what  action  I  should  really 
take  in  the  morning.  They  even  secretly  went  the 
round  of  my  men  endeavouring  to  frighten  them 
from  following  my  route,  by  saying  they  would 
most  certainly  all  die  of  thirst.  At  daybreak  the 
bell  rang  as  usual,  but  the  men  were  slow  indeed 
at  rising  and  loading  up.  They  were  only  half 
persuaded,  but  the  soldiers  were  still  trying  to 
influence  them.  Yet  I  said  nothing,  and  waited 
patiently.  Eventually,  the  officers  again  approached 
me  with  the  intention  of  dissuading  me  from  my 
purpose,  and  certain  Gallas  also  came  up  with  the 
same  object.  Still  I  could  not  help  thinking  there 
must  be  water  on  my  proposed  route,  for  some  of 
the  hills  ahead  were  green,  and  the  general  lie  of 

175 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

the  country  strongly  led  me  to  believe  this.  I  told 
them  once  and  for  all,  water  or  no  water,  I  should 
go  round  the  hills.  Thereupon  the  officers  played 
their  last  card,  replying,  "  If  you  take  that  road,  we 
and  our  soldiers  will  leave  you  and  return."  "Just 
as  you  like,"  I  said.  I  then  wished  them  farewell, 
and  presented  them  with  a  few  dollars,  not  that 
they  deserved  them,  but  that  they  might  know  I  was 
determined  to  stick  to  my  guns.  We  then  moved 
off,  the  men  looking  very  glum,  and  carrying  on 
their  heads  or  in  their  arms  all  the  vessels  they 
possessed,  filled  with  water.  Many  of  them  thought 
they  were  about  to  make  their  last  march  on  earth, 
yet  scarcely  dared  openly  to  object  in  view  of  their 
recent  promises. 

After  a  while  we  came  to  some  huts,  from  one 
of  which  a  Shangkalla  came,  saying  he  would  show 
me  a  road  where  we  could  get  water.  So,  keeping 
this  guide  in  front  of  me,  I  marched  ahead,  and 
after  four  miles  reached  a  nullah  that  ran  up  between 
some  hills.  Here  were  green  trees,  and  grass,  and 
doves,  and  other  birds,  and  I  felt  sure  that  water 
must  be  close  at  hand,  and  knew  from  experience 
that  by  digging  in  the  sand,  at  any  rate,  we  should 
get  it.  My  belief  was  strengthened  by  finding  a 
track  well  worn  by  men  and  sheep.  Up  the  sandy 
nullah  we  marched,  and  wonderfully  good  going 
we  found  it,  and  presently  saw  some  beautiful  pools 
of  clear  water,  and,  further  ahead,  a  crystal  stream 
trickling  by  shady  gurha  trees.  Just  beyond  was 
some  splendid  green  grazing,  the  very  best  grass 
we  had  come  across  on  our  journey.  We  had  now 

176 


Alone  again  at  last 

risen    to  considerably  higher   ground,   and  a  cool, 
refreshing  breeze,  which  we  had  not  felt  for  some 
days,  blew  right  up  the  nullah,  and  cheered  us  all. 
The  men    marvelled  at  the  turn  of  good  fortune, 
saying   that    in    future    they    would    rather    follow 
Geyta's    (master's)    road  than   any  other.     To   me 
it  was  an  agreeable  change  to  find  ourselves  alone, 
started    at   length    under   such   favourable    circum- 
stances, instead  of  for  ever  being  surrounded  with 
shums,   officers,   and   soldiers.      I   was   indeed  glad 
to    have    in    their    stead    a  few    harmless,   friendly 
Shangkallas,    about   whom    I    had    heard    nothing 
but  dreadful  tales.     Still  I  did  not  feel  altogether 
safe,  and  had  an  idea  that  the  soldiers  would  report 
my   behaviour  in   a   wrong  light   to   the  officer    in 
command  of  the  Abyssinian  post  in  the   Hammer 
Koki  mountains,  and  that  he  would  come  over  the 
hills  in  strong  force,  and  put  some  obstacle  in  my 
way,   or  possibly  stop  me  altogether.      It   was  an 
unpleasant   feeling,    for    I    knew    that    it    was    the 
custom  of  the  country  for  petty  shums  to  interfere 
with  foreigners  proceeding   beyond  certain  limits, 
and  to  bully  and  delay  them  to  no  purpose. 

1  therefore  determined  to  make  a  very  early 
start  the  next  morning,  and  to  march  as  long  as 
we  could.  I  kept  well  ahead  of  the  caravan  as  we 
made  our  way  up  the  nullah,  and  we  had  very 
nearly  reached  the  summit,  when,  at  a  sudden  bend, 
I  saw  drawn  up  in  front  of  me,  across  the  road, 
an  Abyssinian  force,  some  two  hundred  strong. 
It  looked  as  though  our  troubles  were  about  to 
begin,  and  my  men  began  to  show  signs  of 

177  N 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

apprehension.  However,  determined  to  take  the 
bull  by  the  horns,  I  walked  up  to  the  crowd.  To 
my  amazement,  they  all  bowed.  The  headman,  or 
shum,  then  stepped  forward,  saying  that  he  had 
had  news  of  my  coming,  and  had  received  in- 
structions to  conduct  me  as  far  as  the  Womo  river. 
I  thanked  him,  saying  how  sorry  I  was  they  had 
had  such  a  chase  over  the  hills  after  me  (for  I 
really  was  sorry,  because  I  did  not  want  them),  and 
begged  them  not  to  trouble  any  further,  as  I  could 
find  the  road  quite  well  by  myself.  "  We  are  going 
with  you,"  was  the  reply.  So  our  united  forces 
marched  along,  and  afterwards  camped  in  the  hills 
by  a  rivulet. 

Somehow  I  felt  suspicious  concerning  the  road 
ahead,  so  at  once  despatched  some  of  my  own 
men  to  inspect  it,  and  on  their  return,  they  reported 
the  hill  track  as  being  quite  impossible  for  mules, 
adding  that  even  a  man  with  a  load  could  not 
negotiate  some  of  the  places.  I  therefore  called 
the  shums,  and  told  them  that  as  the  road  they 
wished  to  take  me  by  was  totally  unfitted  for  mules, 
I  should  steer  for  the  plains.  "  You  will  die  for 
want  of  water  ;  we  will  make  a  road  for  you,"  was 
the  reply.  I  did  not  discuss  the  matter,  but  firmly 
expressed  my  determination  of  leaving  the  hills, 
and  finding  a  road  over  the  plains.  They  replied 
that  they  would  go  and  talk  a  little  together,  and 
then  let  me  know.  As  bedtime  drew  near,  and 
they  had  not  told  me  the  result  of  their  conference, 
I  again  called  for  them,  but  they  were  still  opposed 
to  my  leaving  the  hills.  As  I  relied  upon  getting 

178 


We  liberate  our  Guide 

assistance  from  certain  natives,  I  warned  them  that 
if  they  prevented  the  Shangkallas  from  showing 
me  the  way,  I  should  report  the  case  to  Janhoi. 
"  Oh,"  they  said,  "  there  are  plenty  of  Shangkallas 
here  about  the  camp,  and  you  can  have  any  of  them 
you  like." 

As  soon  as  they  had  left,  my  old  guide  told  me 
that  he  knew  for  certain  there  was  a  Shangkalla  in 
the  camp  of  the  Abyssinian  soldiers  who  knew  all 
about  the  roads,  and  where  water  was  to  be  found 
in  this  part  of  the  country.     By  this  time  it  was 
late,  and  all  had  gone  to  rest,  so  I  took  the  guide 
with   me  into  the  Habesha  camp,  and  we  silently 
walked  on  tiptoe  over  and  between  the  bodies  of 
the  sleeping  soldiers,   till  he  pointed  out  to  me  a 
Shangkalla  whose  hands  and  feet  were  very  tightly 
bound    by  ropes.      I    called   loudly  for  the  shum, 
causing   some   commotion    among   the   slumbering 
soldiers,  and  asked  him  the  meaning  of  it,  knowing 
well  that  the  object  was  to  prevent  me  having  the 
assistance  of  this  guide.     At  first  he  was  unable  to 
reply,  and  then  blurted  out  that  the  man  had  been 
tied  up  because  he  had  been  ordered  to  bring  me 
supplies,  and  had  not  done  so.     I  replied  that    I 
needed    nothing ;  that,  in   any  case,   I  would  take 
nothing  from  men  who  had  nothing  to  give  ;  and 
concluded  by  reminding  him  that  as  he  had  recently 
said  that  I  might  have  any  Shangkalla  I  wanted, 
I    should   like   to  take   this   prisoner.      He    could 
only  say,  "  Take  him."     So  we  brought  him  over 
to  our  camp — his  name  was  Kulo — and  afterwards 
relieved  his  son,  who  was   likewise  bound.     Both 

179 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

were  extremely  grateful  for  the  service  we  had 
done  them,  and  secretly  told  us  they  knew  where 
to  find  water  ahead,  about  which  the  Habesha 
knew  nothing  whatever,  and  they  then  explained 
that  they  had  been  bound  simply  to  prevent  them 
giving  me  the  information. 

I  had  given  orders  for  loading  up  at  four  o'clock 
the  next  mornhig,  and  on  waking  discovered  that 
a  fresh  force  of  Abyssinians  had  arrived  during 
the  night.  With  them  was  the  head  shum  of 
Hammer  Koki.  He  walked  up  to  me,  saying  that 
as  his  soldiers  had  sent  him  no  news  of  me,  he 
had  come  to  see  for  himself,  and  straightway  the 
arguments  about  the  roads  were  started  again. 
This  shum  was  a  particularly  well-mannered  and 
obliging  man,  and  most  anxious  for  me  to  return 
with  him  to  his  post,  where  he  wanted  to  furnish 
us  with  everything  we  wanted.  His  whole  tone 
differed  essentially  from  that  of  his  understrappers, 
and  he  was  a  superior  man  in  every  sense.  On 
seeing  my  determination  to  follow  my  own  route, 
he  no  longer  pressed  me  to  try  an  impossible  road, 
and  lose  half  my  animals,  but  warned  me,  in  a 
friendly  way,  that  if  we  went  by  the  plains  we 
should  certainly  die,  and  he  could  not  allow  any 
of  the  soldiers  to  go  with  me.  I  acknowledged 
the  risk  we  were  about  to  take,  and  having  thanked 
him  for  his  well-meaning  advice,  we  shook  hands 
and  parted  in  a  friendly  way,  whilst  the  other  petty 
shums  remained  hidden  in  the  background,  ashamed 
to  come  forward  and  show  themselves. 

After  a  stony  descent  of  two  hours,  we  found 

1 80 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

grass  by  a  sparkling  stream.  Close  by  were  some 
Shangkalla  houses,  but  all  the  inhabitants  had  fled 
under  the  impression  that  we  were  Habesha, 
although  our  guides  made  good  use  of  their  voices 
to  convince  them  of  their  mistake.  The  Gallas  of 
the  Hammer  Koki  district  are  of  the  poorest 
description  imaginable,  and  it  is  difficult  to  under- 
stand how  some  of  them  manage  to  exist  at  all. 
Whatever  they  have  had  has  been  taken  from 
them,  and  there  is  no  doubt  that  some  of  the  petty 
Abyssinian  shums  treat  the  Shangkallas  of  these 
parts  in  a  very  discreditable  manner.  The  shums, 
however,  are  not  altogether  deserving  of  blame,  for 
they  behave  thus,  I  am  convinced,  entirely  through 
ignorance.  Raiding  comes  as  a  second  nature  to 
them,  and  they  consequently  get  but  a  very  slight 
idea  of  the  suffering  they  cause. 

After  watering  at  the  stream,  we  crossed  the 
open  plain,  alive  with  ostriches  and  big  bustard,  and 
steered  for  the  foot  of  some  hills.  I  also  despatched 
three  men  in  an  easterly  direction  to  a  place  called 
Alibori,  by  Lake  Chouvvaka,  or  Stefanie,  as  it  is 
generally  wrongly  named,  to  try  and  find  some  more 
Shangkallas,  who  would  inform  us  about  the  country 
and  roads  in  front.  Our  guide  took  us  through  a 
trackless  bush  forest  to  the  sandy  bed  of  a  narrow 
river.  This  little  retreat  was  supposed  by  its  occu- 
pants to  be  so  safe  from  interference  that  we  com- 
pletely took  by  surprise  some  natives  who  were 
tending  a  flock  of  goats,  and  who,  on  our  approach, 
fled  precipitately,  casting  away  their  bundles  of  grass, 
and  leaving  all  their  property  in  our  hands,  had  we 

182 


The   Luckless  Alibori 

wished  to  avail  ourselves  of  it.  They  had,  no  doubt, 
taken  us  for  the  dreaded  Habesha.  Although  we  had 
reached  our  watering-place,  it  was  no  easy  matter  to 
discover  its  exact  whereabouts.  It  flowed  from  a 
fissure  in  the  side  of  the  hill  trickling  over  the  rocks 
in  a  tiny  rivulet,  and  by  exercising  patience,  we  suc- 
ceeded, after  four  or  five  hours,  in  drawing  sufficient 
for  the  requirements  of  ourselves  and  all  our  animals. 

At  this  camp,  I  almost  lost  the  terrier  Lady, 
who  was  suffering  from  bronchitis,  and  had  become 
so  extremely  weak  that  for  some  few  days  she  had 
to  ride,  being  unable  to  walk. 

On  returning  to  camp  from  shooting,  after  bag- 
ging some  gazelle  and  bustard,  I  found  the  men  had 
arrived  from  Alibori,  accompanied  by  six  Shang- 
kallas.  These  poor  fellows  had  brought  with  them 
a  sheep  and  some  honey  as  a  present  to  me,  and  on 
first  meeting,  each  of  them  in  turn  came  forward, 
kissed  me  below  the  knee,  and  then  held  forth  his 
hand,  saying,  "  Gari  gari,"  as  a  form  of  salutation. 
It  appeared  that  as  soon  as  my  men  had  come  in 
sight  of  their  village,  the  inhabitants,  taking  them 
at  first  for  Habesha,  had  prepared  to  flee,  but 
on  discovering  their  error  had  shown  them  every 
hospitality  that  lay  in  their  power.  I  sat  down  with 
these  citizens  of  Alibori,  and  listened  with  interest 
to  all  they  had  to  say.  They  explained  to  me  how 
they  had  formerly  been  the  wealthy  owners  of  many 
head  of  cattle,  whereas  to-day  they  had  scarcely  any 
to  speak  of,  and  were  consequently  dependent  for 
their  living  upon  the  fish  they  caught.  They 
begged  me  to  lay  before  King  Menelik  an  account 

183 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

of  their  real  condition,  because  they  knew   him  to 
be  a  good  and  just  man,  and  were  sure  that  he  was 
not  aware  of  the  behaviour  of  his  own  people  in 
these  region?,  for  the  Abyssinians  had  raided  them 
no  fewer  than  seven  times.     Although  they  them- 
selves were  anxious  to  arrive  at  a  friendly  under- 
standing with  the  Abyssinians,  and  were  prepared 
to   pay  whatever  taxes  were  right,  still  they  were 
never  allowed  a  chance   of  doing  so.     Sometimes 
they  had  even  gone  out  to  meet  the  Abyssinians, 
taking  with  them  the    property  they  were  willing 
to  give  them,  but  had  only  been  mercilessly  shot 
down.     They  explained  that  they  themselves  were 
not  the  real  headmen  of  the  villages,  but  the  repre- 
sentatives   of    two    elder   men    who,    though   most 
desirous  of  seeing  me,  were  unequal    to  the  exer- 
tion of  so  long  a  journey  on  foot,  and  unfortunately 
had  now  no  chance  of  riding,  as  all  their  donkeys 
had    been    carried   off.      Their   pitiable   story  was 
probably  true,  for  their  statements,  as  far  as  could 
be   gathered,  were   corroborated   by  my  own   men 
who  had  been  over  to  the  tribe. 

We  left  this  obscure  spot  by  moonlight,  and 
crossed  over  the  hills,  which  were  remarkable  in 
their  way,  for  they  abounded  in  marble.  The 
highest  peak  of  all,  close  to  which  our  track  ran, 
was  crowned  with  a  beautiful  pinnacle  of  white 
marble  rock.  The  road  in  places  was  most  in- 
different, and  altogether  impossible  for  our  caravan 
until  we  had  cut  down  several  trees  and  dislodged 
huge  rocks,  sending  them  bounding  and  crashing 
down  the  mountain-side.  Our  labours  in  this  respect 

184 


No  Time  for  Gold  ! 

were  amply  rewarded,  as  the  sight  of  these  ponderous 
masses  of  rock  following  one  another  into  space  was 
well  worth  seeing. 

We  then  descended  to  a  broad,  sandy,  waterless 
nullah,  where  the  hills  on  either  hand  were  arid 
and  barren.  Along  the  edge  of  the  bed  an  occa- 
sional solitary  thorn  tree  could  be  seen,  reminding 
me  of  the  gloomy  and  desolate-looking  nullahs  of 
the  Tochi  valley.  We  plodded  up  stream  through 
the  heavy  soil  for  several  hours  before  finding  any 
water,  and  then  we  soon  learnt,  to  our  regret,  that 
its  properties  were  purgative. 

In  this  place,  some  of  the  men  brought  me  stones 
which  to  every  appearance  contained  gold,  but  my 
mind  at  that  period  was  mostly  exercised  as  to  the 
best  means  of  administering  to  the  wants  of  my 
animals,  as  my  best  pony  was  dying  from  anthrax, 
and  there  was  then  no  time  to  thoroughly  investigate 
the  matter.  Even  had  we  found  the  precious  metal 
in  vast  quantities,  we  could  never  have  carried  it, 
with  the  transport  means  at  our  disposal.  In  my 
opinion,  it  was  imperative  that  we  should  move  on 
without  delay,  and  remain  in  no  place  for  any  longer 
than  was  absolutely  necessary  till  the  disease  had 
abated.  A  certain  number  of  Shangkallas  were 
living  on  land  about  these  hills,  though  many  of 
them,  I  was  told,  had  been  killed  off  by  the 
Habesha.  These  survivors  were  in  an  extremely 
poor  way,  living  in  simple  hovels,  owning  neither 
cattle  nor  crops  ;  so  when  they  learnt  of  the  death 
of  my  pony,  they  swooped  down  like  carrion  birds 
to  feast  on  the  foul,  putrid  flesh. 

185 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

ADVENTURES  ROUND  LAKE  RUDOLF 

Arrival  at  Lake  Rudolf — The  Asilli  tribes — Their  religious  beliefs — 
Rain-makers — An  extraordinary  people — Illness  and  recovery  of 
Lady — A  native  linguist — An  elephant-hunt — Rest  by  the  lake 
shore — A  miserable  night. 

THE  next  morning,  from  the  summit  of  the  hills, 
we  gained  our  first  glimpse  of  Lake  Rudolf,  or, 
properly  speaking,  Lake  Gallop,  for  that  is  the  name 
by  which  it  is  most  generally  known  by  every  tribe 
I  came  across  who  are  acquainted  with  the  lake ; 
and  later  on  we  passed  by  the  villages  and  tribe 
of  Wangobeino.  At  the  time  when  the  Italian 
Bottego  visited  these  people,  they  stole  some  of  his 
cows,  and  he  in  retaliation  shot  them  down  and 
burnt  their  villages.  Not  far  from  the  Wangobeino 
runs  a  sandy  river-bed  called  the  Alanta,  furnishing 
an  easy  road  to  Lake  Gallop.  There  was  no  water 
to  be  found  on  its  surface  at  this  time  of  the  year, 
but  certain  wells  which  had  been  dug  by  the 
Shangkallas  served  our  purpose  admirably. 

During  the  last  few  days  we  had  been  travelling 
through  country  sparsely  inhabited  by  the  Asilli 
tribes,  who  extend  westward  to  the  Aliboran  of  Lake 
Chouwaha,  or  Stefanie.  As  far  as  I  was  able  to 

186 


The  Nine  Asilli  Tribes 

gather,  the  Asilli  are  split  up  into  the  following  nine 
sub-tribes,  or  divisions:  (i)  Bulenna ;  (2)  Buri ; 
(3)  Simballi ;  (4)  Bursah  ;  (5)  Chakanda  ;  (6)  Wango- 
beino  ;  (7)  Kasha;  (8)  Kulambino  ;  (9)  Kurkuna. 
Of  these  the  Kasha  and  Wangobeino  are  considered 
by  the  Shangkallas  to  be  imbued  with  very  war-like 
instincts.  With  regard  to  their  religion — and  their 
notions  are,  I  presume,  prevalent  amongst  other  tribes 


VIEW   ACROSS   LAKE   GALLOP,    SOMETIMES   CALLED   LAKE   RUDOLF. 

as  well — they  consider  the  heavens  to  be  their  god 
whom  they  worship  by  the  name  of  Wak.  They 
also  imagine  that  whenever  it  thunders,  a  white  man 
has  been  born.  They  argue  that  a  white  man  has 
no  parents,  but  is  born  by  thunder,  and,  therefore, 
when  a  white  man  chooses,  he  can  cause  rain  to  fall, 
which  would  explain  the  reason  why  they  frequently 
asked  me  to  let  them  have  some  rain.  This  notion 

187 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

of  a  white  man's  birth  is  probably  the  result  of  their 
never  having  been  fortunate  enough  to  set  eyes  on 
a  white  woman  ;  but  when  they  do,  their  belief  in 
our  powers  of  producing  rain  may  receive  a  severe 
shock.  Their  own  priest,  whom  they  call  Dobie, 
resides  in  the  midst  of  the  hills,  and  can  also  bring 
rain,  because  they  say  the  rains  belong  to  him. 
There  is  only  one  other  man  who  can  accomplish 
this  useful  feat,  namely,  the  priest's  son  ;  so  when 
the  priest  dies,  his  son  will  still  be  able  to  supply 
their  wants  in  this  respect.  They  say  that  when 
the  priest  is  in  a  bad  humour,  he  declines  to  send 
them  rain.  They  also  say  that  when  a  marriage 
takes  place  amongst  the  Asilli,  the  priest  speaks  a 
few  comforting  words,  and  receives  ghi,  honey,  and 
sheep  in  return  for  his  kindness.  It  would  appear 
that  the  Asilli  priest  holds  a  paramount  position 
amongst  his  people  that  many  of  us  might  envy. 

The  Asilli  adorn  themselves  with  small  copper 
earrings,  and  wear  round  the  neck,  wrists,  and  upper 
arms,  many  iron,  brass,  or  copper  rings.  On 
noticing  an  Asilli  warrior  with  at  least  half  a  dozen 
iron  rings  round  his  neck,  suggesting  a  high  and 
fashionable  collar  of  unbearable  weight,  I  asked  him 
if  he  did  not  find  such  an  ornament  very  heavy  and 
uncomfortable.  "  Oh  yes,  indeed,  we  do,"  he  replied, 
"  but  still  we  like  them."  Each  of  these  rings  round 
the  neck,  which  are  the  work  of  native  artificers,  is 
valued  as  the  price  of  a  cow,  and  in  addition  to  these 
they  wear  ivory  round  the  arms,  red  and  blue  beads 
round  the  neck,  but,  practically  speaking,  no  clothing. 
They  also  carry  a  knife — also  of  local  manufacture 

188 


The   Habesha  again 

—secured  in  a  leather  sheath,  and  fastened  to  a 
leather  strap  round  the  neck.  The  Asilli  of  the 
district  in  which  I  happened  to  be,  complained 
bitterly  of  the  treatment  they  suffered  at  the  hands 
of  the  Habesha,  telling"  me  how  ruthlessly  they  had 
been  shot  down,  and  their  cattle  carried  off.  They 
entreated  me  to  make  my  home  amongst  them,  and 
teach  them  the  art  of  manufacturing  mms,  so  that 

o      o 

they  might  become  as  well  armed  as  the  Habesha. 
Then  they  could  fight  them,  whereas  now,  without 
guns,  they  acknowledged  their  inability  of  accom- 
plishing anything.  I  asked  them,  if  their  story  were 
really  true,  why  they  did  not  move  off  to  the  south 
out  of  harm's  way,  as  the  country  lay  open  to  them 
without  anybody  to  stand  in  their  path.  They  re- 
plied that  in  the  rainy  season  the  Habesha  raided 
far  and  wide,  and  there  was  no  escaping  them. 
This  was  scarcely  a  satisfactory  reason,  as  they  had 
never  shifted  their  homes  to  learn  the  facts  for  them- 
selves. They  also  added  that  they  had  lived  there 
since  they  were  children,  and  their  fathers  and 
grandfathers  had  done  so  before  them. 

During  the  past  four  or  five  days  Lady  had 
been  very  ill  from  a  nasty  cough  and  severe  attacks 
of  sneezing,  but  she  now  took  a  turn  for  the  better, 
and,  together  with  her  pup,  enjoyed  the  happiest 
and  healthiest  of  lives  for  the  rest  of  the  journey. 

We  travelled  down  the  sandy  bed  of  the  nullah, 
which  was  frequented  by  elephants,  rhinoceroses, 
and  giraffes,  till  we  reached  an  open  space,  where 
we  found  plenty  of  good  grass  for  our  animals  and 
more  wells  ;  and,  to  judge  from  the  evident  signs 

189 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

around,  it  was  the  favourite  haunt  of  big  game. 
The  Shangkalla  whom  some  days  ago  we  had 
released  from  bondage  was  still  acting  the  part  of 
guide  to  us,  and  was  here  met  by  another  savage, 
whom  he  proudly  claimed  to  be  his  own  brother. 
He  was,  indeed,  a  man  worthy  of  relationship  or 
acquaintance,  for  he  boasted  complete  knowledge  of 
no  fewer  than  seven  different  languages.  Both  these 
good  fellows  expressed  their  willingness  to  accom- 
pany us  for  many  more  days  to  come.  They  warned 
us  that  if  we  went  by  the  western  shore  of  the 
Lake  Gallop,  we  should  meet  the  Turkana  tribes, 
whose  language  they  knew,  and  whose  friendship 
they  would  win  for  us ;  but  that  if  we  travelled  by 
the  eastern  shore,  we  should  scarcely  encounter  any 
inhabitants  at  all,  as  they  had  almost  all  transferred 
themselves  and  their  property  to  the  opposite 
side  of  the  lake.  It  had,  indeed,  proved  to  be  a 
fortunate  moment  when  we  contrived  to  set  free  the 
Shangkalla  who  had  been  so  severely  bound  both 
hand  and  foot,  for  he  had  since  saved  me  all  anxiety 
about  watering-places,  roads,  and  the  attitudes  tribes 
might  adopt  towards  us,  and  now  was  prepared, 
with  the  valuable  aid  of  his  linguistic  brother,  to 
establish  a  friendship  between  ourselves  and  any 
other  tribe  we  might  come  across.  As  his  powers 
would  have  been  wasted  in  an  uninhabited  land,  I 
doubted  if  they  would  still  wish  to  accompany  me 
when  they  should  discover  that  my  route  lay  along 
the  eastern  and  not  the  western  shore  of  the 
lake. 

It  seemed  now  as  though  the  anthrax  epidemic 
190 


My  Elephant-hunt 

had  worn  itself  out,  so  I  decided  to  stop  and  give 
every  one  a  day's  rest,  and  enjoy  some  sport  after 
elephants. 

We  were  not  long  in  finding  perfectly  fresh 
tracks,  and,  as  we  followed  them  up,  we  came  upon 
quite  recent  droppings,  and,  finally,  to  a  great  tusker. 
He  was  standing  all  alone,  and,  as  he  faced  us, 
exhibited  a  fine  pair  of  tusks  ;  but  for  some  un- 
known reason,  he  moved  off  before  I  could  get 
sufficiently  close  to  fire,  so  we  resumed  our  tracking, 
and,  after  a  while,  came  upon  a  herd  of  over  twenty 
elephants,  some  of  whom  had  enormous  tusks.  I 
carefully  approached  to  within  a  dozen  yards  of 
them,  and  then  waited  for  a  fine  fellow,  whom  I  had 
my  eye  on,  to  give  me  a  chance  of  firing  a  side  shot 
at  his  head.  Then  I  fired  both  barrels  in  rapid 
succession ;  but  the  big  brute  only  winced  con- 
siderably, and  shambled  off  with  the  rest.  There 
was  a  terrible  stampede  and  a  crashing  of  jungle, 
as  they  all  strove  to  escape  down  one  of  the  roads 
they  themselves  had  made  through  the  thick  bush. 
They  were  so  crowded  together  that  they  were  un- 
able to  move  at  all  quickly,  whilst  I,  running  after 
them,  was  very  soon  so  close  upon  the  rearmost 
elephant  that,  had  I  a  lance  in  my  hand,  I  could 
easily  have  pricked  his  haunches,  or,  with  a  sword,  I 
fancied  I  could  have  executed  the  Arab  trick  of 
severing  the  sinew,  whereas  a  rifle-shot  from  behind 
would  have  been  absolutely  useless.  I  might  as 
well  have  blazed  into  a  rampart  of  earth  for  all  the 
damage  that  would  have  resulted.  Presently  an 
opening  in  the  jungle  afforded  me  a  chance  of 

191 


'Twixt   Sirdar  and   Menelik 

getting  on  their  flank,  when  I  again  fired,  at  only  a 
few  yards'  distance,  at  the  head  of  one  of  the  largest 
elephants  in  the  herd,  but  again,  without  killing  him. 
The  herd,  upon  this  second  onslaught,  split  up  into 
two  parties  ;  so,  calling  up  my  men,  I  took  a  couple 
of  them,  and  pursued  one  half,  and  gave  instruc- 
tions to  the  other  three  to  follow  up  the  second 
half,  in  hopes  of  finding  the  wounded  ones  dead. 
I  was  intently  bent  upon  tracking,  when,  looking  up, 
I  saw  a  single  elephant  standing  alone,  and,  as  I 
was  trying  to  get  close  enough  for  a  shot,  he,  with- 
out rhyme  or  reason,  raised  his  trunk,  and  trumpet- 
ing aloud,  rushed  straight  at  me.  I  fired  both 
barrels  of  my  rifle  at  his  head,  the  second  one  at 
only  a  distance  of  half  a  dozen  yards,  and  then 
turned  and  ran  for  it.  Luckily  for  me,  the  elephant 
laboured  under  a  mistake,  for,  imagining  I  had  a 
third  barrel,  he  at  the  same  instant  turned  and  fled 
too.  Although  we  tracked  him  till  after  sunset, 
when  darkness  frustrated  our  efforts,  we  met  with 
no  success,  and,  thoroughly  disappointed  and  dis- 
heartened, we  had  nothing  left  but  to  make  our  way 
back  to  camp. 

With  sorrow  I  reflected  over  the  day's  work.  I 
had  wounded  three  magnificent  elephants,  and,  at 
the  time,  felt  that  I  could  never  bring  myself  to  fire 
at  a  fourth.  Why  hadn't  I  killed  them  ?  It  was 
unaccountable  to  me,  for  with  this  same  rifle,  a 
double-twelve  bore,  on  a  previous  trip,  I  had  killed 
a  big  elephant  by  a  single  shot  in  the  head. 
Whether  my  ammunition,  which  had  been  filled  in 
Bombay,  was  inferior  (formerly  I  had  loaded  my 

192 


The  Calibre   for   Eleplmnts 

own),  or  whether  I  had  shot  badly,  or  fortune  was 
against  me,  I  cannot  say,  but  throughout  the  rest 
of  my  journey  I  never  fired  at  the  head  of  another 
elephant  again  with  the  twelve  bore.  With  the 
same  rifle,  I  killed  elephants  afterwards  with  a  single 
shot  behind  the  shoulder,  and  conclude  that  the 
penetration  was  sufficient  to  reach  the  lung  or  heart, 
though  insufficient  to  touch  the  brain,  owing  to  the 


NATIVES    FROM    LAKE   GALLOP. 


somewhat  inferior  loading  of  the  cartridges.  With 
a  single  shot  at  the  head  between  the  eye  and  ear 
from  a  '303  carbine,  at  a  distance  of  ten  or  twelve 
yards,  I  found  I  could  instantly  kill  an  elephant. 

As  we  walked  homewards,  I  formed  plans  to 
start  tracking  again  for  the  wounded  animals  with 
the  first  streak  of  dawn,  but  the  fates  somehow 
or  other  were  undoubtedly  against  me,  for,  on 
arrival  in  camp,  bad  news  was  awaiting  me.  Two 
more  ponies  had  died  during  the  day,  and  two  more 

'93  o 


'Twixt   Sirdar   and   Menelik 

mules  were  in  a  very  sad  way,  and,  as  the  welfare 
of  my  means  of  transport  was  the  first  consideration, 
there  was  no  alternative  left  but  to  move  on  ;  so  I 
gave  orders  to  load  up  and  march  the  moment  the 
moon  rose.     After  a  hasty  meal,  I  lay  down  to  seize 
a  few  hours'   slumber,  a   rest   disturbed    by  pitiful 
visions  of  those  grand,  majestic,  inoffensive  monsters, 
wounded  and  bleeding  at  the  head.     At  two  a.m. 
we  were  ready  to  move  off,  while  my  herd  of  thirty 
cattle,  all  of  which  had  been  given  me  by  the  Abys- 
sinian chiefs,  had   already  been   driven  on  well  in 
advance.     Soon  after  daybreak  Lake  Gallop  was  in 
sight,  and,  though  we  travelled  at  a  rapid  rate  along 
a  splendid  track  for  most  of  the  way,  yet  we  did  not 
reach  the   shores  of   this  beautiful  water  till    after 
noon.      We  then  pitched  our  camp  fairly  close    to 
the    edge,  that  all  might    enjoy  the    water,  for  we 
were  thoroughly  hot  and  thirsty,  having  had  none 
along  the    road.       In  the  afternoon,  I   satisfied  all 
hands  without  any  trouble,  by  bowling  over  three 
hartebeests,   and  fetching  all  the  meat  into   camp. 
It  was  always  an  advantage  to  shoot  meat  for  every- 
body when    possible,  as  we    could    still    keep    our 
reserve  of  cattle  to  fall  back  upon  when  the  time 
came.     In  the  evening  another  pony  died,  and  we 
all  spent  a  most  miserable  night,  for  as  soon  as  the 
sun  had  set,  mosquitoes  attacked  us  by  shoals,  and 
few   of  us   closed   our   eyes.      Some  Shangkallas, 
attracted    by  the  smoke,  came  towards  our   camp, 
but  made  off  without  approaching   within    hearing 
distance,  no  doubt  having  taken  us  for  a  party  of 
Habesha.     At  daybreak  we  moved  to  some  higher 

194 


Deserted  Ammunition 

ground,  the  very  spot  that  Bottego  had  chosen,  and 
probably  Delamere  too,  as  we  found  quantities  of 
ammunition  '577,  buried  in  the  sand.  There  were 
also  here  the  remains  of  several  deserted  "  karias," 
and  my  guides  informed  me  that  the  people  had  left 
them  owing  to  reports  reaching  them  of  Abyssinian 
raids. 


CHAPTER   XIX 

EXrERIENCES    WITH    THE    LAKE    TRIBES 

The  camp  at  Lake  Rudolf — A  curious  hartebeest — Side  excursions — 
An  uncomfortable  night — An  exciting  swim — We  provision  our 
camp  from  across  the  river — An  elephant  charge — A  deserted 
Shangkalla — A  good  bag — Fever  and  anthrax — New  guides. 

THIS  was  indeed  a  lovely  camp,  for  there  were 
a  few  shady  trees,  and  the  clean,  short  grass  sloped 
down  to  a  border  of  pure  white  sand,  over  which 
broke  the  blue  waves  of  the  fresh-water  lake,  and 
sometimes,  when  the  wind  blew  from  the  west, 
these  equalled  the  power  and  noise  of  sea  billows. 
Along  the  edge  were  duck  and  geese,  the  golden- 
crested  crane,  and  an  occasional  crocodile  or  hippo- 
potamus. From  our  camp  we  could  view  the  country 
for  many  miles  around,  and,  with  glasses,  easily 
distinguish  the  various  herd  of  antelope,  the  solitary 
rhinoceros,  and  other  game.  A  fresh  breeze  would 
blow  throughout  the  day  and  night,  so  that  we  were 
always  cool  and  free  from  the  annoyance  of  mos- 
quitoes and  other  pests.  Amongst  the  variety  of 

196 


Exploring  the   Womo 

game  at  this  camp,  I  saw  a  snow-white  hartebeest. 
To  all  intents  and  purposes  he  resembled  every 
other  hartebeest,  excepting  in  his  colour,  which  was 
pure  white.  I  made  several  attempts  at  shooting 
this  remarkable  animal,  but  he  always  seemed  to  be 
protected  on  both  flanks  by  another  hartebeest  of 
the  ordinary  type.  He  seemed  to  be  well  aware 
that  he  was  an  uncommonly  rare  specimen,  and  to 
have  resolved  on  that  account  to  expose  himself  to 
no  danger,  and,  as  far  as  I  was  concerned,  was  most 
annoyingly  successful,  for  whenever  I  shot  his 
guardians,  others  replaced  them.  I  believe  the 
only  way  of  securing  this  trophy  would  have  been 
to  shoot  the  entire  herd. 

This  camp  was  several  miles  south  of  the  river 
Womo  or  Omo,  as  it  is  called,  at  its  junction  with 
the  water  of  the  lake  itself,  and  as  the  animals  were 
no  longer  suffering  from  anthrax,  and  most  of  the 
men  needed  a  rest,  I  considered  the  present  spot 
suitable  and  healthy  enough  for  a  lengthened  stay  ; 
so  leaving  the  majority  of  the  men  under  the  care  of 
Shahzad  Mir,  I  equipped  a  small  caravan  consisting 
of  a  dozen  men,  my  Galla  guide  Kulo,  and  nine 
mules,  and  set  out  northwards  to  learn  for  myself 
whether  or  not  the  river  Womo  flowed  into  the 
lake  or  took  a  more  westerly  course.  There  had 
been  some  controversy  amongst  those  interested  in 
the  geography  of  these  parts  as  to  the  true  course 
of  this  river,  though,  personally,  I  held  the  testimony 
afforded  by  an  experienced  and  scientific  traveller 
like  Dr.  Donaldson  Smith  to  be  sufficiently  con- 
vincing ;  but  as  there  appeared  to  be  still  doubt 

197 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

hanging-  over  the  subject,  I  felt  there  would  be  no 
harm  done  by  merely  verifying  previous  information. 
Besides,  I  had  gathered  from  the  same  traveller 
that  there  were  certain  natives  dwelling  on  the 
banks  of  the  river  who  cultivated  dhura,  and  I  was 
anxious,  if  possible,  to  buy  grain  from  them,  and 
replenish  my  own  supply,  that  we  might  make  a 
fresh  start,  and  feel  ourselves  independent  of  any 
extraneous  aid  for  at  least  three  months  more. 

Half  of  my  party  consisted  of  Christians,  and  the 
other  half  of  Mohammedans,  and  at  this  early  period 
of  our  journey,  when  food  was  plentiful,  both  parties 
were  firm  in  their  resolve  to  abstain  from  eating 
meat  which  had  not  been  hallaled  *  by  one  of  their 
own  belief.  Thujs,  as  we  marched  northwards  along 
the  edge  of  the  lake,  I  found  it  necessary  to  shoot 
a  hartebeest  for  each  section,  from  the  immense 
herds  that  crossed  our  path  on  their  way  to  and 
from  drinking,  and  this  made  all  thoroughly  happy. 
For  our  first  night's  camp  we  selected  a  piece  of 
rising  ground  lying  about  half  a  mile  from  the  lake, 
where  the  remains  of  some  huts  were  still  standing. 
Here  we  had  anticipated  a  good  night,  free  from 
the  buzz  and  bite  of  mosquitoes,  but  our  hopes  were 
sorely  shattered,  for  not  only  were  we  pestered  by 
legions  upon  legions  of  most  venomous  mosquitoes, 
but  we  were  also  completely  drenched  to  the  bone 
by  a  severe  storm  of  rain  and  thunder.  When 
morning  broke,  therefore,  and  we  started  on  our 
northward  course,  we  felt  anything  but  refreshed. 
We  passed  more  deserted  karias  and  came  upon 

*  I.e.  killed  by  cutting  the  throat. 
198 


Mohamed's  Swim 

tracks  of  elephants  and  rhinoceroses  along  the 
jungle  and  high  grass  that  bordered  the  lake,  and 
as  we  proceeded  up  the  banks  of  the  river  Womo 
we  saw  a  few  natives,  who,  in  spite  of  Kulo's 
calls,  fled  at  once,  as  though  their  lives  were  in 
jeopardy.  As  it  was  now  about  midday,  I  camped 
where  we  stood,  on  the  very  spot  that  Bottego  had 
formerly  camped  in.  It  was  almost  opposite  the 
village  known  as  Murle  on  the  further  bank.  The 
country  south  of  Murle  is  called  Guma.  I  fancy 
the  villagers  used  to  live  on  the  left  bank,  but 

o 

shifted  across  to  avoid  the  Habesha  raiding  parties. 
As  soon  as  the  sun  began  to  set,  I  took  four  men 
and  climbed  down  the  steep  banks  to  the  edge  of 
the  water.  It  was  all  very  well  for  our  friendly 
savages  on  the  other  bank  to  tell  us  to  come  over 
to  them,  but  when  we  noticed  that  every  boat  had 
been  taken  over  to  their  own  banks,  and  no  one 
would  bring  them  across  to  us,  their  simple  instruc- 
tions were  not  so  easy  of  execution.  These  boats 
consisted  merely  of  hollowed-out  trunks  of  trees, 
and  were  about  twelve  feet  long  and  of  great 
weight,  and  were  worked  by  means  of  a  very  long 
pole.  The  question  was,  how  to  get  hold  of  one. 
"  Well,  Mohamed,"  I  said,  turning  to  my  Somali, 
"  if  you  don't  care  to  fetch  one  of  these  boats,  I'll 
do  it."  In  a  moment  this  ever  ready  and  plucky 
Somali  had  stripped,  and  regardless  of  any  monsters 
the  river  might  have  held,  jumped  into  the  water. 
As  he  swam  across  with  all  his  might,  we  pelted 
stones  and  clods  of  earth  around  to  ward  off  any 
alligator  that  might  show  undue  affection  for  the 

199 


'Tvvixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

boy's  legs.  The  river,  I  should  say,  was  about 
thirty  yards  broad  and  about  twenty  feet  deep  in 
the  middle,  with  scarcely  any  appreciable  current,  so 
Mohamed  quickly  and  safely  landed  on  the  opposite 
bank.  The  rest  was  simple  enough,  for,  without 
any  interruption  from  the  natives,  we  had  soon 
fetched  four  boats  over  to  our  bank.  I  then  crossed 
over  with  the  four  men  and  Kulo,  and  having 
secured  the  boats,  we  ascended  the  steep  banks  by 
a  track  that  led  to  the  cultivated  land  and  the 
villages.  My  Abyssinians  were  astonished  at  my 
doing  this.  They  said  that  two  hundred  Habeshas 
would  never  have  dared  to  cross  the  river  with  so 
many  Shangkallas  on  the  opposite  bank,  a  state- 
ment which  perfectly  agrees  with  their  method  of 
raiding.  "  Nothing  venture,  nothing  have,"  is  not 
altogether  in  accordance  with  their  custom,  which 
rather  seems  to  be,  "  Nothing  venture,  plenty  take." 
We  crossed  a  field  of  beans,  and  then  lost  sight 
of  everything  in  the  high  dhura  stalks.  On  the  out- 
skirts of  these  grew  thick  bush,  and  a  village  stood 
close  by,  with  others  but  a  short  distance  off. 
Round  the  grass-built  hovels  that  comprised  the 
village,  a  thick  zareba  of  dried  thorn  bush  had  been 
built,  and  as  we  stood  outside  it,  Kulo  called  aloud 
to  the  inmates  inside,  receiving  no  reply  in  return, 
except  from  the  cackling  hens.  So  keeping  watch 
myself  outside  with  one  man,  I  sent  the  remainder 
of  the  party  inside  to  investigate  the  interior,  and, 
as  I  had  expected,  they  found  the  place  completely 
deserted.  In  almost  every  house  they  found 
quantities  of  dhura  and  tobacco,  and  from  each  took 

200 


I   seek   Revenge 

a  small  amount  of  the  former,  leaving  in  its  place 
some  red  and  white  cloth.  As  we  were  enc^a^ed  in 

o     o 

these  operations,  we  could  distinctly  hear  the 
villagers  calling  to  each  other  in  the  bush,  but, 
owing  to  the  density  of  the  cultivation  and  under- 
growth, we  could  only  seldom  catch  a  glimpse  of 
any  one  of  them.  As  soon  as  we  had  taken  out  all 
we  needed,  we  carried  the  gombos  of  grain  down  to 
the  boats  and  filled  our  sacks,  and  leaving  the 
empty  vessels  carefully  piled  up  together  by  the 
water's  edge,  paddled  across  to  the  other  bank. 
There  we  safely  secured  the  boats,  and  carried  the 
goods  up  to  our  camp. 

Throughout  the  night  we  had  to  keep  a  very 
diligent  watch  over  our  mules,  for  they  became 
terribly  frightened,  and  sometimes  nearly  stampeded, 
owing  to  the  number  of  elephants  that  were  trumpet- 
ing in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  our  camp.  This 
annoyance  lasting  throughout  the  night  made  me 
anxious  for  revenge,  so  having  sent  on  the  caravan 
with  instructions  to  camp  after  marching  ten  miles 
southward,  I  took  a  couple  of  men  with  me,  and 
made  a  circuit  by  the  water's  edge,  to  try  conclusions 
with  the  disturbers  of  our  slumbers.  We  had  but 
little  trouble  in  finding  them,  for  they  were  roaming 
about  in  such  numbers  that  they  were  moving  around 
us-  on  all  sides,  yet,  in  spite  of  this  fact,  and  also 
of  their  close  proximity  (for  some  of  them  would 
come  within  ten  yards  of  us),  owing  to  the  density 
of  the  bush  it  was  most  difficult  to  obtain  a  clear 
shot  at  any  one  of  them.  The  only  plan  open  to 
me  was  patiently  to  follow  a  herd,  and  wait  till  a 

201 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

favourable  opportunity  showed  itself.  There  were 
many  tracks  which  turned  and  twisted  in  the  most 
unaccountable  fashion,  and  I  hoped  to  be  able  even- 
tually to  get  into  such  a  position  that  some  of  the 
elephants  would  cross  me  at  right  angles,  and  afford 
an  easy  shot  at  a  very  short  range.  The  rearmost 
elephant  of  the  herd  I  followed  chanced  to  be  a 
female,  and  the  happy  mother  of  a  baby-elephant, 
which  walked  along  in  front  of  her,  and  as  she  came 
behind,  she  frequently  showed  her  affection  for  her 
offspring  by  stopping  and  holding  up  her  trunk  and 
sniffing  the  air  from  every  quarter,  .till  on  one 
occasion  she  did  this  too  successfully.  She  had 
scented  us,  and  round  she  immediately  turned  with- 
out more  ado,  and  rushed  straight  upon  us.  My 
two  followers  wisely  enough  vanished  like  lightning, 
and  I  stopped  to  fire  one  shot,  and  then  ran  too,  but, 
fortunately  for  us,  the  bullet  had  hit  the  enraged 
beast  in  the  head,  and  had  turned  her.  We  fol- 
lowed up  a  second  time,  and  again  the  fond  mother 
charged,  but  we  all  crawled  away  into  the  thick 
bush,  and  she  continued  her  angry  attack  along  the 
empty  track.  I  felt  very  thankful  that  elephants, 
although  blessed  with  useful  olfactory  organs,  are 
ridiculously  blind.  In  our  ignominious  retreat,  we 
came  across  some  other  elephants  moving  along 
another  track,  and  then  mutually  agreed  that  the 
place  was  altogether  too  hot  for  us,  so,  leaving  the 
monsters  victorious  for  the  day,  we  turned  our  steps 
towards  camp,  and  hot,  thirsty,  and  scorched  by  the 
midday  sun,  rejoined  the  rest  of  our  people  soon 
after  noon. 


202 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

On  arrival,  the  men  told  us  they  had  seen 
several  Shangkallas  in  the  bush  by  the  water's 
edge,  so  I  went  down  there,  and  found  the  savages 
had  made  off,  taking  the  most  of  their  belongings 
with  them.  There  only  remained  a  decrepit  old 
lady  and  her  faithful  dog,  and  the  poor  soul  told  me 
to  take  whatever  I  wanted,  adding  that  the  people 
had  already  taken  away  most  of  their  goods,  fearing 
the  Habesha  were  coming.  I  told  her  I  had  no 
need  of  anything,  and  gave  her  some  cloth  to  put 
round  her  body,  and  the  cold  tea  from  my  water- 
bottle,  for  both  of  which  little  attentions  she  was 
evidently  grateful,  and  said  she  would  let  her  people 
know  that  they  had  no  cause  to  run  away  from  us. 
They  had  already  deserted  their  villages,  and  taken 
to  the  bush,  and,  strange  to  say,  I  had  quite  un- 
intentionally turned  them  out  of  their  second 
homes. 

We  all  spent  another  bad  night,  for  the  mos- 
quitoes hovered  around  us  in  myriads,  and  the  mules 
again  demanded  a  deal  of  looking  after,  on  account 
of  the  strange  noises  kept  up  by  the  elephants.  The 
mules,  indeed,  were  more  than  we  could  manage 
under  the  trying  circumstances,  for  one  of  them  got 
loose,  and  ran  off  to  its  old  home.  It  was  the 
splendid  mule  that  Fitarauri  Duri  had  given  me  on 
the  day  of  my  ladies'  tea-party,  and  it  is  very  probable 
that  he  reached  the  home  of  his  former  master.  He 
wasn't  going  to  spend  any  more  bad  nights  in  a 
new  country  ;  and  perhaps  he  was  right  in  his  choice. 
When  day  broke,  we  all  felt  cross  and  unrefreshed, 
and.  thought  I  had  no  inclination  to  go  elephant- 

204 


Another   Bout  of  Vengeance 

hunting,  still  I  felt  eager  to  wreak  my  vengeance  on 
our  night  enemies,  and  as  the  mosquitoes  had  dis- 
appeared with  the  light  of  day,  my  vengeance  was 
limited  to  the  larger  fry.  We  soon  came  upon  a  big 
herd  in  somewhat  less  dense  jungle  ;  and  without 
drawing  on  myself  the  tender  attentions  of  any  of 
them,  I  crept  up  to  within  a  dozen  yards,  and  then 
fired  at  the  nearest,  who  staggered  from  the  effects, 
and  then  toppled  over  ;  a  second,  as  he  was  moving 
off,  I  bowled  over  like  a  rabbit,  with  a  shot  behind  the 
shoulder  ;  and  then  taking  my  other  rifle,  I  wounded 
a  third  in  the  head.  With  the  help  of  the  two  men 
who  were  with  me,  we  had  soon  tracked  him  by  the 
blood  droppings,  and  found  him  at  a  standstill  in  a 
very  bad  way,  so  that  a  second  head  shot  finished 
him  off  in  an  instant.  The  middle-sized  elephant  of 
the  three  stood  ten  feet  four  inches  high  at  the 
shoulder,  having  very  fair  tusks ;  the  other  two, 
owing  to  the  awkward  position  in  which  they  had 
fallen,  could  not  be  measured.  I  was  exceedingly 
pleased  with  my  unexpected  success,  for  my  Abys- 
sinians  had  been  telling  me  over  and  over  again  how 
their  fellow-countrymen  could  knock  over  elephants. 
They  used  to  say  that  if  I  would  only  take  twenty 
men  with  me,  and  let  all  fire  at  one  elephant,  I 
would  then  have  much  more  chance  of  killing,  and 
that  it  was  simply  madness  for  me  to  try  and  shoot 
an  elephant  alone,  for  I  should  never  do  it.  An 
Abyssinian  who  has  killed  an  elephant — that  is,  of 
course,  with  the  assistance  of  a  large  body  of  armed 
attendants — is  looked  upon  as  a  man  of  some  stand- 
ing in  the  country,  and  a  man  who  has  killed  more 

205 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

than  one  is  so  much  elated  at  his  own  skill  that  he 
will  not  deign  to  talk  to  anybody. 

The  next  morning  I  was  again  tempted  to  try 
for  elephants  in  the  jungle  bordering  on  the  lake. 
Taking  my  boy  Mohamed  with  me,  we  soon  dis- 
covered a  large  herd  grazing  and  walking  in  our 
direction,  so  we  both  crouched  down  in  the  grass  to 
await  their  approach  and  select  the  largest  amongst 
them.  Several  passed  within  a  dozen  yards  of  us,  quite 
unconscious  of  our  presence,  and  then  a  little  fellow 
came  within  four  yards,  and  Mohamed  whispered, 
"  Geyta,  do  you  wish  to  be  trampled  on  ?  "  So  we 
rose,  and  moved  a  little  further  to  one  side,  when 
the  entire  herd,  becoming  suspicious,  began  to  shuffle 
off.  I  then  stood  up  and  fired  two  shots  from  my 
•303  at  the  head  of  the  largest  elephant,  killing  him 
on  the  spot  ;  then  firing  again,  wounded  the  second 
so  badly  that  he  ran  for  only  a  few  hundred  yards, 
and  we  had  no  difficulty  in  tracking  him.  I  found  him 
standing  alone  in  the  bushes,  and  fired  at  his  head, 
when  up  went  the  trunk,  and  he  thundered  upon  us. 
We  both  ran  as  hard  as  we  could  to  one  flank,  and 
the  elephant,  sorely  hit,  went  toppling  along.  Again 
we  went  after  him,  and  found  him  still  standing  in 
a  very  sad  way,  so,  crawling  up  to  very  close  quarters, 
I  bowled  him  over,  stone  dead,  with  a  third  shot  in 
the  head.  I  felt  sure  that  the  first  shot  had  really 
done  its  work  effectively,  and  that  had  I  not  gone 
after  the  elephant,  he  would  have  died  where  I  found 
him  standing. 

Late  that  same  evening  we  returned  to  our  old 
camp,  where  I  had  left  Shahzad  Mir  in  charge. 

206 


Beside   Lake  Gallop 

Some  of  the  men  had  contracted  fever  during  my 
absence,  and  three  more  mules  had  died  from 
anthrax.  The  fever  had  been  brought  on  by  bath- 
ing in  the  lake  at  midday.  After  this,  I  never 
allowed  bathing  excepting  in  the  early  morning  or 
evening,  just  before  sunset.  This  at  once  stopped 
all  fever. 

It  was  delightful  enough  travelling  along  the 
shores  of  Lake  Gallop,  or  Buzz  or  Baso,  by  which 
latter  names  it  is  also  occasionally  known  ;  for  the 
days  were  cool,  never  registering  more  than  105 
Fahr. ,  and  there  was  abundance  of  game.  The  water 
of  the  lake,  though  very  slightly  brackish,  is,  never- 
theless, perfectly  good  for  drinking.  The  lake  gave 
me  the  impression  of  having  a  slight  tide. 

Besides  abundance  of  meat,  we  could  always 
knock  over  plenty  of  duck  and  geese,  and  catch  any 
quantity  of  fish  ;  yet,  in  spite  of  all  these  luxuries,  we 
were  in  a  very  bad  way,  for  our  animals  were  dying 
at  an  alarming  rate,  and  those  who  did  not  suffer 
from  anthrax  had  grown  very  weak  and  were  in 
very  poor  condition.  I  fancy  the  unaccustomed 
change,  from  the  hills  to  the  plains,  was  to  a  great 
extent  the  cause  of  this  falling  away.  A  great  deal 
of  the  grass,  too,  by  the  water's  edge  provides  but 
little  nourishment,  and  parts  of  the  shore  being 
marshy  caused  some  of  the  animals  to  suffer  from 
fever.  As  soon  as  we  had  completed  our  morning's 
march,  the  animals  at  first  were  accustomed  to  go 
straight  down  to  the  water's  edge  to  graze,  when 
they  would  often  lie  down  and  sleep  instead ;  and 
this,  in  marshy  ground,  must  have  had  anything  but 

207 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

a  beneficial  effect  upon  their  constitutions.  I  after- 
wards tried  a  new  scheme,  and  for  the  first  few 
hours  after  halting  sent  every  animal  on  to  higher 
ground  away  from  the  lake,  no  matter  whether  the 
soil  was  sandy,  rocky,  or  grassy,  and  after  they  had 
enjoyed  a  thorough  rest  there  in  the  breeze,  drove 
them  down  to  the  grassy  edge  of  the  lake,  where 
they  all  fed  greedily.  No  sooner  had  I  adopted 
this  plan  than  the  animals  began  to  pick  up  daily. 
I  consider  the  camel  to  be  the  most  suitable  animal 
for  taking  a  caravan  along  the  shores  of  Lake 
Gallop,  as  there  is  almost  everywhere  excellent  food 
for  him. 

On  the  second  day  after  starting  south,  we 
caught  a  man  and  woman  gathering  red  and  black 
berries  from  a  bush  called  "  awy  "  by  the  Somalis, 
the  wood  of  which  is  used  for  cleaning  the  teeth,  and 
for  allaying  thirst  by  chewing.  Whether  they  were 
a  married  couple,  or  brother  and  sister,  I  never  knew, 
nor  did  it  matter  either,  for  they  willingly  agreed 
to  accompany  us  along  the  shore  of  the  lake,  and 
show  us  the  best  track  to  follow.  We  were  glad  to 
have  them,  for  our  old  friend  Kulu,  and  his  brother 
of  seven  languages,  had  left  us  at  their  own  wish, 
as  they  did  not  relish  a  journey  along  the  uninhabited 
side  of  the  lake.  This  new  couple  belonged  to  the 
tribe  called  Gallopa,  most  of  whom  have  now  crossed 
over  to  the  other  side  of  the  lake  to  escape  the  raids 
of  the  Habesha.  The  husband  or  brother,  who 
was  dressed  in  the  garb  of  Nature,  wore  a  small, 
oblong  piece  of  flat  brass  hanging  from  the  lower 
lip,  and  was  armed  with  a  spear  and  bow.  Both  he 

208 


Two  New  Recruits 

and  the  woman  wore  beads  round  the  neck,  and 
both  possessed  considerable  intelligence.  A  third 
addition,  in  the  shape  of  their  dog,  joined  our  party, 
and  found  such  good  food  in  her  new  home,  and 
such  valuable  companions  in  Lady  and  her  pup, 
that,  on  the  departure  of  her  mistress  some  days 
later,  it  preferred  to  throw  in  its  lot  with  us,  and 
eventually  safely  reached  Sobat  on  the  White  Nile. 
During  their  stay  with  us,  they  fed  well,  and,  when 
they  left,  had  become  considerably  stouter.  They 
were,  in  fact,  so  contented  with  their  life  that,  when 
we  had  no  further  need  of  their  services,  they  still 
did  not  want  to  leave  us. 

From  the  time  we  reached  Lake  Gallop,  Shahzad 
Mir  and  myself  always  travelled  on  foot.  We  were 
more  or  less  compelled  to  do  so  on  account  of  the 
havoc  created  by  anthrax.  Almost  every  day,  as 
we  moved  southwards,  some  animal  or  other  would 
die,  and  my  store  of  dhura  was  given  to  the  sur- 
vivors, in  hopes  that  a  little  grain  would  strengthen 
them,  or,  at  any  rate,  lighten  their  loads.  I  had 
been  successful  in  shooting  other  elephants,  and 
had  no  desire  to  shoot  any  more.  My  largest 
elephant  stood  eleven  feet  two  inches  high  at 
the  shoulder,  and  measured  five  feet  ten  inches 
round  the  circumference  of  the  near  foot.  He 
carried  a  single  tusk  only,  the  other  one  having 
been  broken  close  off  to  the  head — this  one  tusk 
weighed  over  a  hundred  pounds.  Had  he  pos- 
sessed two  tusks,  I  should  never  have  shot  him, 
for  we  could  not  possibly  have  brought  them  both 
along.  From  the  same  rifle  a  bullet  shot  just 

209  p 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

behind  the  ear  of  a  rhinoceros  meant  instantaneous 
death. 

One  afternoon,  I  strolled  out  to  shoot  some 
sand-grouse  for  dinner,  and,  curiously  enough,  a 
rhinoceros  was  standing  close  to  where  the  sand- 
grouse  congregated.  Instead  of  trotting  off  as  I 
had  expected,  he  came  straight  for  me,  and  I  had  to 
run  for  it.  Almost  everywhere  I  found  rhinoceros 
absurdly  tame,  and  much  given  to  charging,  but  at 
the  same  time,  the  brutes'  attack  was  always  easily 
avoided  by  stepping  aside.  I  shot  them  only  when 
the  men  were  hard  up  for  shoe-leather. 


210 


CHAPTER   XX 

A    CHAPTER    OF    ACCIDENTS,    WITH    A    HAPPY    ENDING 

A  plague  of  mosquitoes — My  last  pony  dies — Transport  difficulties — 
I  meet  with  an  accident — A  fresh  start — A  search  for  water — A 
stony  wilderness — A  hostile  native — The  south  end  of  the  lake — 
A  serious  situation — Arrival  of  donkeys  and  sheep — A  happy- 
meeting. 

AT  Alia  Bay,  about  halfway  down  the  lake,  stood 
a  couple  of  fishing  villages,  one  of  which  was 
situated  close  to  the  water  and  the  other  on  an 
island  a  short  distance  from  the  mainland.  It  made 
me  shudder  to  think  of  the  mosquitoes  that  must 
infest  these  two  villages,  for  although  our  own  camp 
was  pitched  right  away  from  the  lake  in  an  open 
spot,  yet  at  nightfall  the  mosquitoes  made  sleep 
impossible  both  for  men  and  animals,  all  of  whom 
spent  the  hours  which  should  have  been  devoted  to 
rest,  to  waging  war  against  the  tormentors.  About 
midnight  we  were  too  exhausted  to  carry  on  the 
fight  any  longer,  and  confessed  ourselves  beaten. 
I,  therefore,  rang  the  bell  for  loading  up,  and  shortly 
before  daybreak  we  came  to  some  good  trees,  and 
as  some  of  the  mules  were  going  very  slowly,  I 
halted,  and,  after  unloading,  lay  down  to  snatch  a 
few  hours'  sleep  before  sunrise.  Here,  too,  the 

211 


'Twixt   Sirdar  and   Menelik 

mosquitoes  gave  us  no  chance,  and,  as  a  last  resource, 
I  took  my  gun  and  knocked  over  some  guinea-fowl 
and  duck  for  breakfast.  At  this  camp,  the  last  of 
my  ponies  died. 

The  condition  of  our  transport  was  becoming 
a  very  serious  matter.  Some  of  my  tusks  I  had 
to  give  away  to  natives  of  the  Gallopa  tribe,  or  to 
fishermen  who  had  rendered  me  any  service,  but 
even  that  availed  us  little.  We  had  lost  more  than 
half  our  baggage  animals,  and  the  remainder  were 
weakly,  and  unequal  to  covering  more  than  half  a 
dozen  miles  a  day.  It  was  imperative  that  we 
should  get  animals  from  somewhere,  for,  as  a  matter 
of  fact,  we  were  only  just  beginning  our  travels. 
As  a  temporary  measure,  I  broke  in  the  cattle,  and 
loaded  them,  but  this  was  not  without  its  drawbacks. 
First  of  all,  it  took  four  or  five  of  us  to  adjust  the 
load,  and  the  moment  we  let  go,  the  cow  would  tear 
about  in  the  most  dangerous  manner,  and  end  up 
by  falling  on  the  ground  in  sheer  rage.  Bat  all 
these  little  failings  we  gradually  overcame  ;  though 
we  could  never  increase  their  pace  of  marching, 
which  was  painfully  slow.  On  the  other  hand,  cows 
had  undeniable  advantages  over  the  ponies.  They 
were  extremely  economical,  for,  besides  carrying  a 
fair  load,  they  supplied  us  with  milk,  and  whenever 
a  poor  beast  became  too  footsore  to  walk  any 
further,  it  gave  us  all  a  good  dinner  of  roast  beef. 
We  did  not  attempt  that  more  economical  dodge 
adopted  by  a  certain  traveller,  of  cutting  off  beef- 
steaks from  the  living  beast,  and  allowing  the  flesh 
to  heal  again,  so  as  to  furnish  a  steak  later  on. 

212 


I   lose  a  Finger 

Yet  this  plan  merely  emphasizes  the  fact  that  there 
are  more  ways  than  one  of  travelling  and  living  in 
Africa. 

At  this  period  of  our  journey,  towards  the  end 
of  March,  I  met  with  an  unfortunate  accident. 
While  opening  a  tin,  I  drove  the  instrument— the 


LIFTING   A   CAMKL    INTO   TFE   RIVKR. 


three-sided  pointed  weapon  usually  found  in  any 
big  hunting-knife — clean  through  the  first  finger  of 
my  left  hand,  causing  me  to  lose  half  my  finger. 
The  whole  arm  was  affected  for  many  days,  so  I  felt 
thankful  and  pleased  that  the  results  were  not  more 
serious.  Although  I  could  use  my  hand  but  little 
for  the  remainder  of  the  journey,  the  mishap  never 
gave  me  fever  or  affected  my  health  in  any  way. 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

My  Abyssinians,  with  the  best  of  intentions,  would 
daily  come  and  inquire  whether  my  arm  was  not 
dying  as  well  as  my  finger,  and  they  cried  out  that 
now  my  shooting  days  were  over  they  would  all 
die  from  want  of  food. 

It  had  been  my  original  intention  to  explore  the 
country  well  to  the  east  of  Lake  Gallop,  and  to  dis- 
cover a  river  which  is  said  to  exist  somewhere  or 
other  in  these  parts.  At  this  time  of  the  year  there 
was  no  water  whatever  running  into  this  side  of  the 
lake  ;  every  sandy  rivulet  was  as  dry  as  dry  could 
be,  and  I  had  not  enough  strong  mules  to  take  away 
on  an  experimental  journey.  Had  I  not  lost  so 
many  animals  I  might  easily  have  established  a 
water-station  some  thirty  miles  east  of  the  lake,  and 
extended  my  explorations  another  fifty  miles  east  of 
that  point,  but  in  our  present  condition  it  was  abso- 
lutely impossible.  Had  I  possessed  camels,  there 
would  have  been  no  difficulty  whatever,  but  mules, 
with  all  their  advantages,  must  have  water.  I 
resolved,  however,  to  attempt  the  journey,  hoping 
to  come  across  some  tribe,  possibly  the  Rendile,  from 
whom  I  might  be  able  to  get  camels.  I  took  the  only 
two  strong  mules  left  to  us,  and,  loading  one  with 
water,  and  the  other  with  food,  set  out  with  ten  men 
at  one  o'clock  in  the  night,  steering  due  east  by  the 
moon.  The  country,  at  this  time  of  the  year,  was 
very  dry  and  parched  ;  we  crossed  some  low  sandy 
hills,  and,  after  seven  hours'  hard  marching,  came  to 
a  dry,  sandy  river  bed,  where  grew  shady  thorn - 
trees,  and  dome  palms,  with  their  clusters  of  brown- 
looking  nuts.  After  following  up  the  bed  for 

214 


The   Search  for  Water 

another  hour,  in  the  vain  hope  of  finding  water,  I 
halted  to  rest  the  mules,  and  feed  the  men.  There 
was  abundance  of  game  about  here,  elephants, 
giraffe,  lions,  wild  donkeys,  and  various  gazelle, 
besides  big  bustard.  The  question  that  was  always 
uppermost  in  my  mind  was,  where  did  all  these 
beasts  drink  ?  Did  they  trot  off  daily  down  to  the 
lake  ?  I  think  not.  After  satisfying  our  hunger,  I 
sent  out  three  separate  parties,  consisting  of  three 
men  each,  in  different  directions,  with  a  promise  of 
two  months'  pay  to  every  man  who  brought  me  back 
word  of  water  or  people,  and,  leaving  the  remaining 
man  to  look  after  the  mules,  I  went  off  to  try  and 
shoot  some  meat  and  have  it  ready  by  the  time  the 
men  returned.  Here  I  found  that  my  wounded 
hand  was  far  too  painful  for  shooting,  and  that  with- 
out it  my  firing  was  far  from  accurate.  My  shooting 
for  the  rest  of  the  journey  was  practically  at  an  end, 
and  I  never  dared  touch  a  rifle  unless  the  men  were 
hard  up  for  meat.  None  of  the  parties  returned 
till  after  sunset,  and  then,  thoroughly  parched, 
exhausted  and  disheartened,  told  their  unwelcome 
tales.  They  had  come  across  several  deserted 
villages,  and  old  droppings  of  camels,  but  had  found 
no  people  and  no  water.  We  then  finished  our  two 
mule-loads,  and  at  2  a.m.,  as  soon  as  the  moon  rose, 
tramped  back  to  camp,  where  we  found  all  anxiously 
looking  out  for  our  return,  in  expectation  of  hearing 
we  had  found  camels,  or  other  equally  satisfactory 
news. 

Some  distance  down  the  lake,  there  runs  a  range 
of  very  barren  hills,  rising  from  the  very  edge  of 

215 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

the  water.  Every  previous  traveller  has,  I  believe, 
at  this  point,  left  the  lake  and  gone  round  the  hills  ; 
but  in  our  case  it  would  have  been  madness,  for  we 
should  have  found  no  water  at  this  time  of  the  year, 
nor  could  we  have  carried  it  if  we  had.  For  the  first 
few  miles  we  were  fortunate  in  finding  a  track,  which, 
however,  after  a  bit,  altogether  disappeared,  and  we 
travelled  along  over  masses  of  brown  and  black 
sharp-edged  stones,  till  we  reached  a  sandy  cove 
ornamented  with  a  few  shady  trees,  and  a  little 
grass.  Here  I  collected  my  caravan,  which  was 
straggling  far  behind,  and  halted,  preparatory  to 
exploring  the  road  further  ahead.  I  found  the 
nullah,  at  whose  opening  we  had  camped,  led  up  into 
a  wilderness  of  the  most  desolate  and  stony  hills 
imaginable.  Many  of  the  remarkable  configurations 
of  the  rocks — results  of  volcanic  action — strongly 
resembled  those  of  Fingale's  Cave.  After  marching 
for  about  three  hours  the  next  day,  we  found  it 
quite  impossible  to  proceed  any  further  till  we  had 
literally  made  a  road  for  our  transport.  Even  now, 
in  spite  of  our  laborious  improvements,  I  should 
never  recommend  this  route  to  any  future  traveller. 
Though  the  disease  amongst  our  animals  was  at 
this  period  beginning  to  wear  itself  out,  for  all  that, 
we  were  losing  mules  and  donkeys,  and  our  only 
chance  of  success  lay  in  reaching  the  southern  end 
of  the  lake,  for  we  had  been  told  we  should  be  able 
to  refit  there  by  the  purchase  of  donkeys  and  camels. 
In  order  to  assist  us  in  getting  to  this  desirable 
spot,  I  enlisted  half  a  dozen  natives  of  Gallopa,  and 
induced  them  to  carry  loads,  rewarding  them  with 

216 


In   Pursuit  of  Awal 

food  and  beads.  Of  course,  the  more  men  that 
joined  our  caravan,  the  more  were  the  difficulties 
of  feeding  increased,  and  sometimes,  when  game 
happened  to  be  scarce,  the  work  entailed  in  shooting 
the  necessary  amount  of  food  fell  heavily  on  the 
few  individuals  who  were  able  to  use  a  rifle  effec- 
tively against  game. 

One  morning,  when  we  were  in  one  of  these 
predicaments,  after  I  had  unfortunately  failed  to  bag 
a  hippopotamus  which  was  standing  by  the  shore  of 
the  lake,  and  which  would  have  fed  the  entire 
caravan  ten  times  over,  I  set  out  to  try  and  kill 
some  gazelle,  and  shortly  reached  some  low  hills, 
covered  with  black  pebbles,  where  I  observed 
several  awal  and  oryx.  Whilst  endeavouring  to 
creep  up  unobserved  within  range  of  the  latter 
(for  the  flesh  of  one  oryx  would  have  been  equal 
to  that  of  no  end  of  gazelle)  I  unexpectedly  found 
myself  within  decent  range  of  some  other  awal, 
who  had  so  far  escaped  my  notice,  and  had 
stopped  short  on  their  way  towards  the  water  for  a 
midday  drink.  They  were  intently  watching  me, 
evidently  wondering,  and  unable  to  decide  what 
species  of  creature  I  was,  so  I  sat  down  and  re- 
mained motionless.  We  gazed  with  keen  interest 
at  one  another  at  a  distance  of  about  150  yards. 
This  trick  of  mine  made  them  still  more  inquisi- 
tive, and  gradually  they  drew  nearer,  advancing  a 
few  steps  and  then  stopping.  They  came  along 
at  a  painfully  slow  pace,  and  the  black  pebbles  on 
which  I  sat,  heated  by  the  midday  sun,  burnt  like 
an  oven,  and  were  fast  cooking  my  own  steaks. 

217 


'Twixt  Sirdar   and  Menelik 

It  seemed  that  the  gazelle  would  never  come  close 
enough  to  suit  me,  but  as  I  could  not  endure  the 
heat  for  another  moment,  I  fired.  I  commenced  a 
rapid  fusillade  from  my  '303,  and  knocked  over  three 
of  the  awal.  I  then  rose  to  call  up  the  two  men 
who  were  concealed  some  way  behind,  and  found, 
on  getting  up,  that  my  burns  were  really  rather 
serious,  for  I  could  scarcely  walk,  and  the  wounds 
smarted  terribly. 

Early  the  next  morning,  my  advanced  guard 
caught  a  native  hiding  in  the  grass,  on  the  point 
of  shooting  an  arrow  at  us.  We  made  a  "  friendly  " 
of  him  to  the  extent  that  he  carried  a  small  load 
for  us,  receiving  food  and  payment  of  beads  in 
return  for  his  services.  Along  our  road,  we  picked 
up  great  numbers  of  beautiful  crystals,  also  light 
pale  blue,  almost  transparent  stones,  and  innumer- 
able fossils,  that  gave  one  the  idea  of  having 
originally  existed  in  a  form  of  sea-anemone.  The 
crystals  and  stones  have,  I  should  say,  been  washed 
down  by  some  of  the  many  rivulets  from  the  hills 
lying  east  of  the  lake.  At  this  period,  the  men  were 
crying  out  for  salt,  and  the  morning  after  hearing 
their  complaint  we  discovered  plenty  of  this  valuable 
article  close  to  the  lake  itself.  I  suggested  the 
advisability  of  their  asking  for  pepper,  a  spice  which 
they  are  fond  of,  or  for  any  other  luxury  they  might 
take  a  fancy  to,  since  Fortune  smiled  so  kindly  at  us. 

On  the  8th  of  April  we  caught  our  first  glimpse 
of  the  southern  end  of  the  lake.  It  was  quite  a 
memorable  incident,  as  the  men  had  for  some  days 
already  given  up  all  hope  of  ever  seeing  anything 

218 


The  End   of  the  Lake 

else  but  this  everlasting  lake,  and  I  certainly 
sympathized  with  their  feelings,  as  our  marches 
each  day  had  to  be  so  short  and  slow  that  they 
became  most  wearisome.  We  seemed  to  make  no 
headway.  Yet,  with  more  than  half  of  our  animals 
dead  from  anthrax,  and  the  others  in  a  sickly  con- 
dition, and  with  natives  and  the  slow-moving  cows 
carrying  our  flour  and  other  goods,  it  was  no 
wonder  that  we  could  not  cover  more  than  five  or 
six  miles  a  day.  But  worst  of  all,  each  day  matters 
were  growing  more  serious,  and  it  became  more  and 
more  imperative  that  we  should  get  assistance  some- 
how or  other.  "  Won't  Geyta  (master)  turn  back 
when  all  the  animals  are  dead?"  asked  some  of 
the  men.  "  No,"  replied  my  Somali  boy  Mohamed  ; 
"  if  every  animal  and  every  man  dies,  Geyta  will 
still  go  on."  Had  all  the  animals  died,  a  catas- 
trophe that  was  quite  possible,  it  would  perhaps 
have  been  more  risky  to  return  than  to  go  forward. 
While  in  this  unfortunate  situation,  we  saw,  one 
morning,  smoke  rising  from  the  end  of  the  lake 
and  also  from  the  opposite  shore.  Our  friendlies 
told  us  that  the  smoke  at  the  end  of  the  lake 
indicated  a  village  of  the  first  people  we  should  meet, 
who  possessed  both  donkeys  and  sheep,  and  they 
added  the  gratifying  intelligence  that  living  next  to 
these  people  were  the  Bomi,  from  whom  we  should 
be  able  to  buy  camels.  I  had  intended  taking  a 
party  eastwards  myself,  to  search  again  for  the 
Rendile  tribe,  and  try  to  exchange  beads  and  cloth 
with  them  for  camels,  but  at  this  period  my  finger  had 
shown  such  alarming  symptoms  that  I  decided  to 

219 


m&\ 


IP  VI' 

IfeVS 


Unsavoury    Birds 

despatch  Shahzad  Mir  and  Mohamed,  with  sixteen 
best  men,  and  the  most  intelligent  "  friendlies,"  to 
the  southern  end  of  the  lake,  with  means  to  buy 
donkeys  and  sheep  from  the  Lokub.  I  would  take 
the  opportunity  to  nurse  and  poultice  my  hand, 
and  be  better  fitted  to  struggle  onwards  with  the 
remainder  of  the  men.  On  the  morning  of  their 
departure,  as  I  was  anxious  they  should  not  start 
with  an  empty  larder,  I  sallied  forth  with  my  rifle, 
and  very  quickly  knocked  over  six  gazelle  ;  but  for 
the  next  few  days  sorely  repented  my  foolishness. 

As  soon  as  the  little  expedition  had  left,  I  found 
it  necessary  to  move  our  camp  a  few  miles  south- 
wards, for  the  wind  had  shifted  from  the  east  round 
to  the  west,  and  with  the  change  brought  a  most 
offensive  smell  from  the  myriads  of  pink  water-birds 
that  had  congregated  in  some  stagnant  pools  by  the 
edge  of  the  lake.  The  odour  was  absolutely  un- 
bearable, and  though  we  moved  only  three  or  four 
miles  to  avoid  it,  this  took  us  a  deal  of  time,  for 
some  of  the  mules  and  men  had  to  make  double 
journeys.  From  this  last  camp  I  could  scan  the 
opposite  shore  of  the  lake  with  my  glasses,  but  it 
was  never  sufficiently  clear  to  learn  the  where- 
abouts of  our  party. 

About  half  a  mile  away,  and  at  some  distance 
from  the  lake  itself,  there  was  a  pool,  one  side  of 
which  was  flanked  by  reeds,  and  on  the  other  side 
gazelle  and  ostriches  would  come  at  any  time  of  the 
day  to  drink  the  water.  Some  of  the  men  who 
considered  themselves  crack  shots  were  wont  to 
spend  many  hours,  hidden  in  the  reeds,  in  the  hope 

221 


'Twixt   Sirdar  and   Menelik 

of  shooting  meat,  and  though  they  had  no  end  of 
chances,  and  blazed  away  a  vast  amount  of  ammuni- 
tion, the  results  were  far  from  satisfactory,  except- 
ing that  it  reassured  them  of  their  inability  to  hit 
anything  but  a  target.  Fearing  the  men  might  get 
disheartened,  I  again  shifted  camp,  and  discovered 
a  suitable  spot  only  a  few  miles  ahead,  where,  at 
some  previous  time,  Galla  stone  houses  had  existed, 
for  we  could  still  distinguish  the  formation  and  size 
of  them  from  the  remaining  stones.  There  were 
also  a  few  thorn-trees,  and  numerous  herds  of  gazelle 
were  wont  to  pass  by  them  on  their  way  to  the 
water.  All  the  hills  around  were  covered  with 
loose  brown  and  black  stones,  and  in  some  parts 
quantities  of  limestone  were  visible.  The  men 
were  rather  disappointed  at  their  lack  of  skill  in 
killing  gazelle,  for  they  knew  as  well  as  I  did  that 
they  were  fairly  accurate  marksmen  at  a  target. 
So,  feeling  that  they  really  needed  meat,  I  took  my 
rifle,  and  sat  down  on  the  ground  about  half  a  mile 
from  camp,  and  very  shortly  afterwards  a  large 
herd  of  gazelle  drew  near  me.  I  fired  and  fired 
again  and  again,  and  they,  poor  beasts,  not  knowing 
whence  the  noise  came,  were  utterly  bewildered, 
and  unable  to  decide  on  the  best  direction  for 
flight.  Before  they  had  eventually  made  up  their 
minds  and  galloped  off,  I  had  fired  ten  shots,  and 
knocked  over  five  gazelle,  much  to  the  delight  of 
all  in  camp. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day,  two  messengers 
arrived  from  Shahzad  Mir  bringing  a  note  from 
him,  in  which  it  was  stated  that  he  was  bringing 

222 


Shahzad    Mir's   Haul 

sixty  donkeys  and  some  sheep.  This  was  excellent 
news,  and  all  felt  we  should  now  be  able  to  make 
as  long  marches  as  we  chose.  The  note  arrived  in 
the  very  nick  of  time,  for  we  were  all  spending  a 
most  unpleasant  and  trying  day.  A  strong  wind 
was  blowing  clouds  of  very  fine  sand  into  the  eyes, 
hair,  and  everywhere  else,  and  there  was  no  shade 
worthy  of  the  name  ;  while  countless  swarms  of  ants 
armed  with  painful  stings,  and  any  number  of  the 
ordinary  house  flies,  who  up  to  date  had  thought  us 
quite  unworthy  of  their  notice,  pestered  us  in  the 
most  persevering  way.  All  these  annoyances  were 
soon  lost  sight  of  in  making  preparations  for  an 
early  start  the  next  morning.  We  made  every 
effort  to  meet  our  returning  party  as  soon  as 
possible,  for  all  wanted  to  know  details  of  their 
success,  and  it  seemed  to  every  one  that  we  had 
been  separated  from  one  another  for  months  instead 
of  only  a  few  days.  After  about  two  hours'  march, 
and  on  the  crest  of  one  of  the  spurs  that  ran  down 
into  the  lake,  we  met  Shahzad  Mir,  followed  by  a 
herd  of  superb  donkeys,  and  half  of  the  men  he  had 
taken  with  him.  The  other  half  had  remained 
behind,  to  look  after  the  sheep,  which  were  slower 
marchers  than  unloaded  donkeys.  There  were 
great  rejoicings  among  both  parties  at  our  meeting 
again.  A  stranger  would  have  thought  we  had 
made  a  journey  round  the  moon  and  a  couple  of 
the  planets,  and  had  not  seen  our  lost  brethren  for 
years.  How  delighted  we  all  were  ! 


223 


CHAPTER     XXI 

AMONG    THE    REND1LE 

Why  Shahzad  Mir  took  the  animals — My  reflections  thereon — Deter- 
mination to  make  reparation — The  donkeys'  liking  for  human 
hair— The  Rendile  people— A  stony  march — A  strange  dis- 
covery— A  warning  to  travellers— A  traveller's  camp. 

IT  appeared  that  as  soon  as  the  people  living  at  the 
southern  end  of  Lake  Gallop,  or  Rudolf,  caught  sight 
of  Shahzad  Mir  and  his  men,  they,  without  more  ado, 
fled,  leaving  many  of  their  donkeys  and  sheep  behind, 
and,  as  they  made  off,  they  broke  their  spears  in 
two,  and  threw  them  away,  implying  that  they  had 
no  desire  to  fight  Shahzad  Mir  and  his  party.  The 
donkeys  that  they  left  behind  numbered  several 
hundreds,  whilst  the  sheep  and  goats  were  innumer- 
able, and  the  Pathan  helped  himself  to  what  he 
considered  right  and  necessary.  He  had  tried  his 
best  to  induce  the  people  to  see  the  advisability  of 
coming  and  talking  with  him,  but  they  were  very 
much  afraid.  One  man  they  caught,  and  though 
they  treated  him  with  every  possible  consideration 
and  kindness,  he  behaved  more  like  a  wild  and 
scared  animal  than  a  rational  being,  and  ran  away 
on  the  very  first  opportunity.  Now,  the  question 
arises,  why  did  these  ignorant  savages  flee  ?  Either 

224 


An   Ethical   Question 

they  must  have  heard  rumours  of  the  raiding 
carried  on  by  the  Abyssinians,  or  they  must  have 
been  severely  dealt  with  by  some  previous  traveller, 
or,  owing  to  the  continual  state  of  guerilla  warfare 
existing  between  themselves  and  their  neighbours, 
the  Rendile  to  the  east,  and  the  Bomi  to  the  west, 
they  knew  of  no  other  policy  but  that  of  killing  and 
raiding,  and  had  never  come  across  any  people  who 
were  willing  and  capable  of  acting  in  a  just  and 
friendly  way.  The  notion  of  friendship  outside 
their  own  family  circle,  so  to  speak,  is  evidently 
foreign  to  their  nature.  Be  that  as  it  may,  I  cannot 
help  thinking  that  these  people,  at  some  period  of 
their  lives,  must  have  experienced  the  effect  of  rifle- 
fire,  or  they  would  not  have  fled  as  they  had  done 
at  the  very  first  sight  of  a  handful  of  men.  I  was 
much  annoyed  at  the  unfortunate  accident  to  my 
hand,  which  had  prevented  me  from  personally 
dealing  with  this  tribe  about  whom  we  knew  nothing, 
and,  judging  from  my  subsequent  experience  with 
other  tribes,  I  fancy  the  outcome  might  have  been 
more  satisfactory. 

As  it  happened,  my  people  had  inflicted  injury 
on  nobody  ;  they  had  merely  been  compelled  to 
take  away  goods  in  the  shape  of  donkeys  and 
sheep  from  a  tribe,  because  the  latter,  through 
unreasonable  fear,  would  not  stop  and  barter  them. 
Of  course  Shahzad  Mir  was  new  to  the  country,  and 
having  since  his  arrival  been  mixed  up  more  or  less 
intimately  with  Abyssinians,  whose  chief  topic  of 
thought  and  conversation  was  killing  and  raiding, 
and  with  Soudanese  who  on  previous  journeys  had 

225  Q 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

been  accustomed  to  shoot  natives  and  carry  off 
property  in  the  most  regrettable  manner,  he  had  to 
a  certain  extent  become  unknowingly  influenced  by 
them,  in  the  same  way  that  any  man  whose  lot  is 
thrown,  for  a  time,  amongst  people  of  different 
race  and  habits  from  his  own,  finds  himself  involun- 
tarily falling  into  their  ways  and  customs,  and  even, 


SHAHZAD   MIR. 


as  a  natural  consequence,  adopting  their  feeling  and 
mode  of  thought.  Thus  he  was  perfectly  convinced 
in  his  own  mind  that  we  should  never  be  able  to 
come  to  a  friendly  understanding  with  any  tribes  at 
all  on  our  journey,  and  that  we  should  have  to  take 
what  we  required  by  force,  or  else  help  ourselves  in 
the  same  manner  as  he  had  just  done.  One  thing, 

226 


Our   New  Donkeys 

however,  was  certainly  clear,  that  had  not  Shahzad 
Mir  then  helped  himself  to  donkeys  and  sheep,  we 
should  probably  be  still  struggling  along  the  shore 
of  the  lake. 

The  whole  affair,  nevertheless,  was  quite  con- 
trary to  my  own  theory  of  pioneering.  It  is  true 
that  the  donkeys  which  my  men  took  made  no 
apparent  numerical  impression  on  the  gigantic  herd 
left  behind,  nor  could  the  looting  of  the  sheep  have 
affected  the  whole  tribe  or  any  individual  in  par- 
ticular ;  yet  I  resolved  on  reaching  the  villages  of 
the  tribe  myself,  to  try  and  repay  them  as  far  as  lay 
in  my  power.  I  would  leave  them  my  own  wearied 
donkeys  and  mules,  with  loads  of  cloth  and  beads, 
and  anything  else  they  might  take  a  fancy  to,  and 
I  much  looked  forward  to  the  day  when  we  should 
see  them,  and  be  able  to  carry  out  my  wishes. 

The  new  donkeys  were  in  the  pink  of  condition, 
of  a  very  light  colour,  with  broad  backs,  strong 
powerful  frames,  and  stout  little  legs,  standing 
between  eleven  and  twelve  hands  high.  In  their 
bearing  and  action  they  much  more  resembled  a 
wild  than  a  domestic  animal.  Sometimes,  as  we 
continued  our  march,  they  would  spurt  along 
together  in  a  herd,  then  suddenly  pull  up  with 
heads  erect  and  full  of  life,  look  round  on  every 
side,  and  then  at  one  another,  as  much  as  to  say, 
"  What  is  the  meaning  of  all  this  ?  who  are  these 
strange  masters  ?  and  where  have  they  come  from  ? 
And  what  are  these  scraggy  looking  creatures 
struggling  along  with  drooping  heads  and  burdens 
of  all  kinds  on  their  backs  ? "  I  feel  sure  that  these 

227 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

domestic  donkeys  must  have  originally  lived  in  a  wild 
state,  and  that  fresh  wild  blood  must  be  constantly 
introduced.  In  comparing  the  two  classes,  it  is  hard 
to  discover  any  difference  at  all.  On  more  than  one 
occasion,  during  our  first  march,  I  saw  some  of  the 
wild  ones  at  a  distance  from  our  caravan,  and  not 
knowing  what  they  were,  inquired  whether  they  were 
my  property  or  whether  they  were  at  large. 

There  is  no  denying  the  fact  that  I  was  delighted 
to  get  such  timely  help,  and  to  be  able  to  release 
the  remaining  mules  and  donkeys  from  the  work 
that  was  fast  killing  them.  Not  that  they  were 
actually  doing  very  much,  but  they  were  all  com- 
pletely out  of  sorts,  and  quite  unequal  even  to  the 
small  task  we  daily  imposed  upon  them.  Our 
animals,  taken  as  they  had  been  from  the  hills,  had 
not  yet  become  acclimatized  to  the  comparatively 
trying  atmosphere  and  indifferent  feeding  of  the 
plains,  neither  would  my  fourteen  or  fifteen  remain- 
ing cows  have  lasted  out  for  many  more  marches. 
Many  of  them  had  grown  exceedingly  footsore  from 
the  stony  nature  of  the  ground,  and  all  of  them  had 
lost  their  sleek  condition  through  being  forced  to 
perform  the  unaccustomed  duty  of  carrying  loads, 
some  weighing  as  much  as  eighty  pounds. 

After  halting  for  breakfast,  I  decided  to  move 
on  and  reach,  if  possible,  my  second  party  with  the 
sheep,  who  had  halted  in  a  suitable  spot  by  the 
edge  of  the  lake.  The  sun  had  already  set  before 
we  caught  sight  of  the  glimmer  of  their  camp-fire, 
and,  a  few  minutes  later,  I  found  the  men  smilingly 
drawn  up  in  line,  eager  to  salute  me,  after  their  few 

228 


Improved   Saddle-mending 

d'ays  of  absence.  As  soon  as  all  the  animals  had 
been  unloaded,  we  set  about  constructing  a  zareba 
for  the  night,  that  our  new  friends,  the  donkeys,  as 
well  as  the  mules,  sheep,  goats,  and  ourselves,  might 
be  protected.  I  must  confess  that  that  evening  I 
indulged  in  so  many  mugs  of  fresh  milk  from  the 
sheep  and  goats  that  there  was  no  corner  left  for 
dinner,  and  my  two  dogs,  Lady  and  her  pup, 
fared  with  equal  satisfaction. 

The  first  duty  to  be  carried  out  the  next  morn- 
ing was  to  hold  a  saddle  inspection  preparatory  to 
breaking  the  new  donkeys  into  carrying  our  loads. 
Most  of  the  saddles  required  mending  and  re- 
stuffing,  I  therefore  issued  packing-needles  and  stout 
thread  for  this  purpose,  but  noticed,  after  a  bit,  that 
very  little  headway  had  been  made  in  the  work.  I 
knew  quite  well  that  the  men  were  all  casting  long- 
ing eyes  on  the  sheep,  of  which  we  had  over  a 
hundred,  so  I  explained  to  them  that,  as  soon  as  the 
saddles  were  finished,  the  work  on  the  sheep  should 
commence.  These  words  had  a  magic  effect,  and 
in  a  wonderfully  short  space  of  time  the  saddles 
presented  a  very  creditable  appearance. 

We  were  now  camped  in  an  exceptionally  lovely 
spot,  particularly  welcome  after  the  desolate,  barren, 
and  stony  country  of  the  last  few  days.  There  was 
a  brisk  little  stream  running  down  from  the  hills  east 
of  us,  through  a  thick  coppice  of  willows  surrounded 
by  good  turf;  around  all  grew  plenty  of  dome  palms 
and  shady  gurhas,  whilst  the  blue  lake,  half  a  mile 
away,  and  below  us,  backed  up  by  the  dim  ranges 
of  hills  on  the  further  shore,  completed  a  very  pretty 

229 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

piece  of  landscape.  The  country,  too,  abounded  in 
rhinoceros,  hippopotami,  gazelles,  hares,  partridges, 
and  the  tiny  gentle  dik-dik,  but  big  and  small  game 
alike  had  no  need  to  fear  death  from  my  rifle  or  gun. 

On  waking  at  dead  of  night  on  the  edge  of  this 
marvellous  lake,  I  felt  a  strange  sense  of  wonder. 
Excepting  the  sentry  on  watch,  who  moved  silently 
about  the  camp,  both  man  and  beast  were  sleeping 
peacefully  after  the  labours  and  stimulating  uncer- 
tainties of  the  day.  It  was  strange  to  listen,  as  I  lay 
on  the  bare  ground,  to  the  breaking  of  huge  waves 
on  the  sandy  shore,  knowing  all  the  time  we  were 
actually  hundreds  of  miles  from  the  mighty  ocean, 
and  in  the  heart  of  a  vast  tropical  continent. 

The  following  day  being  Sunday,  we  enjoyed,  for 
us,  a  day  of  rest.  The  natives  who  had  helped  us 
in  carrying  our  loads  received  their  reward,  and  then, 
of  their  own  accord,  offered  their  services  as  far  as 
the  end  of  the  lake,  so  pleased  had  they  grown  with 
their  novel  and  unexpected  life.  But  I  had  no 
further  need  of  employing  them,  for  our  new  blood 
took  kindly  to  their  work,  and  we  could  pick  and 
choose  our  animals,  as  we  possessed  more  than  our 
requirements  demanded.  These  new  donkeys 
thrived  in  an  astonishing  way  ;  they  seemed  to 
flourish  and  fatten  on  the  most  barren  country,  but, 
unfortunately,  they  had  as  well,  I  am  sure,  a  par- 
tiality for  short  grass,  and  during  the  night  had  a 
habit  of  nibbling  at  my  crop  of  hair,  labouring  under 
the  impression  that  it  was  food  for  them.  The 
Bomi  are  accustomed  to  let  their  animals  graze  at 
night-time,  though  we  dared  not  run  the  risk  of 

230 


The   Vanished   Rendile 

allowing  this  indulgence,  and  our  new  donkeys, 
missing  their  nightly  supper,  were  driven  by  the 
pangs  of  hunger  to  try  and  substitute  hair  for 
grass. 

At  early  dawn  I  sent  off  a  small  party  to  inspect 
the  hills  lying  west  of  us,  to  try  and  find  some  signs 
of  the  Rendile  people,  for  we  had  seen  fires  burning 
in  the  distance.  In  the  evening  they  returned, 
having  discovered  that  the  smoke  had  been  caused 
by  a  grass  fire  on  the  hillside ;  they  had  seen  no- 
body, but  had  merely  noticed  the  locality  on  this 
side  of  the  hills,  where  the  Rendile  must  have 
recently  lived,  for  there  were  many  signs  of  camels 
and  houses.  This  agreed  with  the  information 
given  me  by  the  natives  who  had  accompanied  us, 
that  the  Rendile  used  to  live  close  by  the  hills,  but 
owing  to  the  constant  quarrels  and  fighting  with 
the  Bomi,  they  had,  for  the  sake  of  a  peaceful  life, 
retired  to  a  distance. 

As  we  set  out  with  our  new  reinforcements,  we 
might  have  been  taken  for  a  small  army,  to  such 
enormous  dimensions  had  our  caravan  attained.  At 
this  period  we  marched  in  the  following  formation. 
In  front  of  all  was  my  advance  guard  of  four  men, 
then  I  came  with  an  attendant  and  the  two  dogs, 
followed  by  the  baggage  animals  ;  then  the  spare 
animals  followed  with  the  sheep  and  goats,  while 
the  cattle  brought  up  the  rear.  Shahzad  Mir 
and  his  attendant  moved  where  most  convenient 
for  surveying.  Looking  down  on  the  whole  caval- 
cade from  higher  ground,  I  was  astonished  at  the 
important  show  we  made.  The  road,  after  a  bit, 

231 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 


favoured  us  with  a  continuation  of  brown  and 
black  stones  ;  in  fact,  there  was  nothing  but  stones, 
even  down  to  the  water's  edge.  About  halfway 
across  this  comfortless  stretch,  and  in  the  stoniest  of 
stony  places,  we,  strange  to  say,  found  masses  of 
camel  bones,  all  accumulated  close  together  within 
a  limited  area.  Some  of  my  men  offered  a  sugges- 
tion that  certain  Shangkallas  had  stolen  camels 


REMARKABLE  ACCUMULATION   OF  CAMEL   BONES,    LAKE   RUDOLF. 

from  some  tribe  or  other,  and  had  rested  there  to 
eat  them  ;  others,  again,  urged  that  a  traveller  must 
have  gone  this  way,  and  had  also  grown  hungry,  and 
cut  up  all  his  camels  for  food  ;  but  his  appetite  must 
have  been  abnormal,  and,  with  no  wood  at  hand,  his 
dinner  barbarous  ;  besides,  no  sane  man  would  have 
brought  camels  by  such  a  road,  when  he  might  have 
travelled  round  the  hills.  Still,  it  is  curious  that  so 

232 


Signs  of  a  European 

many  camels  should  have  succumbed  at  the  same 
spot ;  and  yet,  again,  no  sane  man  either  would  have 
camped  on  a  sloping  mass  of  brown  and  black  edged 
stone,  without  a  single  square  foot  of  any  other 
ground.  To  stop  and  eat  camels  in  such  a  stony 
desert  must  have  caused  the  death  of  the  owner  as 
well  as  of  the  camels.  My  own  opinion  is  that  the 
camels,  having  covered  part  of  the  stony  zone,  died 
at  the  disheartening  prospect  of  more  stones  ahead, 
in  spite  of  all  they  had  already  crossed.  I  have  a 
still  more  remarkable  statement  to  make  :  that  two 
of  my  cows  selected  this  very  spot  whereon  to  end 
their  travels,  for  they  simply  laid  down  and  died, 
apparently  without  any  cause.  I  speak  of  this  in 
hopes  that  a  warning'  may  be  given  to  future 
travellers  intending  to  try  this  route.  I  know  that 
I  myself  felt  so  exasperated  at  these  everlasting 
stones  that  I  almost  envied  the  fate  of  my  two 
cows. 

We  camped  the  following  evening  close  by  the 
side  of  some  former  traveller's  encampment.  The 
party,  to  judge  from  the  space  they  required,  must 
have  numbered  far  more  than  ourselves.  Their  trans- 
port had  consisted  of  camels,  and  they  were  more 
careful  than  we  were,  for  they  had  made  a  zareba 
round  their  camp.  They  had  spent  some  time  at 
target  practice,  and  were  skilful  marksmen,  as  we 
picked  up  pieces  of  wood  riddled  by  bullets  ;  also  a 
packet  of  medical  plaster,  and  other  small  things 
indicative  of  the  presence  of  a  European. 

Close  by  the  water's  edge  walked  a  fine  hippo- 
potamus, followed  by  her  youngster,  nibbling  at  the 

233 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

grass,  and  enjoying  an  evening  ramble.  They  were 
quite  unsuspicious  of  any  danger,  and  allowed  me 
to  approach  within  an  easy  range  of  them.  Before 
they  were  aware  of  my  immediate  presence,  I  had 
shot  them  both — with  my  binocular  camera  !  Just 
then  they  discovered  my  game,  and  immediately 
made  all  haste  to  hide  themselves  under  the  waves 
of  the  lake,  as  though  objecting,  like  many  civilized 
beings,  to  the  operation  of  being  "  took." 


234 


CHAPTER   XXII 

GIANT    TRIBES 

Unsuccessful  attempts  to  make  reparation — The  Lokub  people — A 
race  of  long-haired  men — Severe  storms — Teleki's  volcano — 
Despatch  of  an  advance  party — A  welcome  signal — Giant 
footprints — An  encounter  with  Shangkallas — Mohamed  wounded. 

Tins  evening's  camp  was  only  a  few  hours'  march 
from  the  homes  of  the  Lokub  tribe,  from  whom  we 
had  taken  the  donkeys  and  sheep,  and  in  order  to 
be  ready  to  offer  them  compensation,  I  took  a  mule 
with  me.  This  animal,  laden  with  cloth  and  beads, 
I  placed  well  in  front  of  the  caravan,  in  the  hopes 
that  the  tribesmen  would  catch  sight  of  it,  and 
rightly  guess  that  my  intentions  were  of  a  friendly 
nature.  I  also  held  in  readiness  every  animal  we 
could  spare,  so  as  to  be  able  to  present  them  the 
moment  we  met.  Unfortunately,  our  preparations 
proved  entirely  wasted,  as  we  never  caught  sight  of 
any  one  at  all.  We  found  the  country  destitute  of 
donkeys,  sheep,  and  goats,  and  it  was  evident  that 
they  had  been  driven  away,  and  that  the  people  had 
quitted  their  homes  two  or  three  days  previous  to 
our  coming.  I  felt  very  sorry  myself  at  being 
totally  unable  to  repay  them.  Had  I  left  donkeys 

235 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

and  mules  and  goods  behind  me,  the  chances  are 
they  would  have  been  snapped  up  by  some  one  else, 
for  I  was  well  aware  that  we  were  daily  followed  by 
a  number  of  savages,  who,  though  never  actually 
showing  themselves,  regularly  pounced  down  on 
our  deserted  camp,  eager  to  seize  any  little  article 
we  had  cast  aside. 

My  only  chance  of  coming  across  these  terri- 
fied truant  Lokub  was  to  go  and  look  for  them, 
so,  leaving  the  caravan  at  the  deserted  villages,  I 
took  four  men  with  me,  and  climbed  the  stony  hills 
in  the  direction  they  had  fled.  We  searched  all 
day  long,  but  still  saw  no  signs  whatever  of  them, 
even  from  the  topmost  hills.  They  must  have 
gone  away  some  days  distant  without  any  present 
intention  of  returning.  This  Lokub  tribe  are  a  race 
of  very  finely  made  men,  with  long  hair  stretching 
down  to  the  waist ;  they  wear  no  clothing  except 
beads  round  the  neck,  and  rings  of  iron  rourid  the 
arms.  They  live  on  milk,  meat,  and  probably  fish, 
whilst  flour  and  vegetables  are  unknown  in  their 
menu.  The  physique  of  the  men  speaks  much  in 
favour  of  a  milk  and  meat  diet.  As  a  rule,  I  found 
men  living  on  meat  and  milk  finer  in  physique  than 
those  living  on  cereals  as  well ;  while  those  de- 
pendent only  on  fish  were  inferior  to  other  tribes, 
both  physically  and  intellectually.  We  found  many 
useful  articles  which  had  been  carved  from  wood, 
viz.  water- vessels,  bowls,  spoons,  and  so  forth. 
They  make  peculiar  pack-saddles  for  their  donkeys 
from  thin  sticks,  which  are  so  constructed  that  they 
can  carry  four  or  five  water- vessels  on  each  side  of 

236 


Lokub   Pack-saddles 

the  animal.  They  are  made  in  the  form  of  a  kind 
of  basket,  with  sides  of  an  oval  shape.  Close  by 
the  village  of  the  Lokub  there  existed  quantities  of 
rock  salt,  and  a  small  salt  lake. 

At  this  time  we  observed,  with  some  uneasiness, 
that  severe   storms  were  bursting  every  afternoon 


A   DIFFICULT  CROSSING. 


principally  over  the  country  south  of  us,  and  we 
thought  ourselves  lucky  in  getting  only  the  fringe 
of  these  disturbances.  Still,  it  seemed  to  me 
quite  likely  that  the  rainy  season  had  commenced 
from  the  south,  and  would  perhaps  work  up  north- 
wards. There  were,  however,  no  means  of  knowing 
how  the  seasons  really  behaved  in  this  part  of  the 

237 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

world.  I  could  only  form  my  judgment,  and  act 
accordingly.  I  had  read  in  one  of-  Sir  Samuel 
Baker's  books  his  advice  in  relation  to  the  seasons 
of  these  regions,  and  had  based  my  own  expecta- 
tions on  the  view  of  so  experienced  a  traveller. 
He  states — 

"  It  was  necessary  to  wait  at  Khartum  for  arrival  of  the 
north  wind,  so  as  to  make  an  early  start  in  December. 
Although  the  north  and  south  winds  blow  alternately  for 
six  months,  the  former,  commencing  in  October,  does  not 
extend  many  degrees  south  till  the  beginning  of  December 
— a  great  drawback  to  exploration,  as  when  near  the  north 
side  of  the  equator  the  dry  season  commences  in  November 
and  closes  in  February.  Thus  the  departure  from  Khartum 
should  take  place  in  the  latter  part  of  September,  allowing 
the  traveller  to  leave  Gondokoro,  lat  4°  54',  shortly 
before  November ;  he  would  then  secure  three  months  of 
favourable  weather  for  an  advance  inland." 

After  leaving  the  village  of  the  Lokub,  we 
climbed  over  a  somewhat  difficult  and  very  stony 
spur,  and  then  came  upon  the  outskirts  of  the  active 
results  of  Teleki's  volcano.  There  were  two  tracks 
to  choose  from — one  ran  round  the  lava,  and  the 
other  across  it.  The  former,  though  the  longer 
of  the  two,  was  far  better  suited  to  our  laden 
animals,  and  we  took  it.  We  found  an  immense 
field  of  black  molten  lava,  highly  resembling  coke  in 
appearance,  and,  curiously  enough,  this  entire  mass 
of  igneous  matter  ended  with  such  neat  and  abrupt 
edges  that  it  appeared  to  have  been  shovelled  three 
or  four  feet  high  by  human  means.  I  concluded  that 
the  burning  substance  must  have  been  poured  forth 

238 


A  Lava  Stream 

like  liquid  lead  over  the  surface  of  the  ground,  and 
suddenly  cooled  just  as  we  had  seen  it.  We  noticed 
several  trees  knocked  over  by  the  hot  lava,  the 
upper  limbs  of  which  were  protruding.  They  did 
not  appear  to  have  been  long  in  this  position,  and 
this,  added  to  the  fact  that  the  road  running  round 
the  lava  appeared  to  have  been  recently  used,  led 
me  to  believe  that  the  volcano  must  have  been  in 
action  at  no  very  distant  date,  say  within  the  last 
three  or  four  years,  but  this,  I  own,  is  purely  sup- 
position on  my  part.  After  circumventing  this  field 
of  lava,  we  camped  at  the  south-west  corner  of  the 
lake,  our  very  last  halt  by  the  edge  of  this  beautiful 
water. 

In  spite  of  its  many  attractions,  and  the  almost 
reliable  supply  of  venison,  all  of  us  had  had  a  suffi- 
ciently big  dose  of  Gallop,  and  looked  forward  to 
seeing  fresh  country  and  tasting  pure  water,  for  that 
of  this  lake  cannot  be  altogether  recommended.  It 
is  slightly  brackish,  and  very  often  increases  rather 
than  assuages  thirst.  I  found  that  the  state  of 
the  water  varied  on  different  banks.  Whenever 
stone  and  rocks  formed  the  shore,  the  water  became 
less  brackish.  Yet  it  must  not  be  gathered  from 
this  statement  that  the  water  was  actually  undrink- 
able  at  any  time,  for  although  we  had  no  filter,  all 
of  us  drank  the  water  for  weeks,  and  experienced  no 
injurious  results  from  doing  so.  I  learnt  from  con- 
stant bathing  that,  as  a  rule,  I  got  out  of  my  depth 
about  forty  or  fifty  yards  from  the  shore.  I  also 
learnt  that  there  existed  a  certain  amount  of  tide, 
though  quite  possibly  this  was  due  to  the  wind.  As 

239 


'Twixt   Sirdar  and   Menelik 

far  as  I  am  aware,  there  is  no  outlet  ;  evaporation 
must  regulate  the  dimensions  of  this  grand  lake. 

It  had  been  my  intention  to  strike  a  westerly 
course  for  about  a  hundred  miles  or  more  before 
steering  north  again.  My  only  serious  uncertainty 
in  thus  acting  lay  in  our  total  ignorance  of  the 
supply  of  water  we  were  likely  to  get  ahead.  I 
would  willingly  at  this  time  have  exchanged  all  my 
animals  for  five  and  twenty  camels,  for  we  could 
then  have  carried  our  goods,  and,  in  addition,  a  week's 
supply  of  water  for  all.  As  matters  now  stood,  it 
was  almost  as  imperative  for  the  mules  and  donkeys 
to  have  water  each  day  as  it  was  for  the  men. 
West  of  us  lay  a  rather  steep  range  of  hills  1646 
feet  higher  than  our  camp  by  the  lake,  which  we 
should  have  to  tackle.  As  to  what  lay  beyond 
them,  we  were  in  total  ignorance,  nor  had  we  any 
one  with  us  now  to  guide  or  help  us.  As  far  as  I 
could  judge,  we  might  have  marched  northwards 
along  the  edge  of  the  lake,  and  some  of  the  men 
asked  the  question,  "  Why  does  Geyta  try  and  get 
over  hills  when  there  is  a  track  northwards  along 
the  side  of  the  water  ? "  They  could  not  under- 
stand why  I  wanted  to  explore  unknown  land,  and 
why  I  was  eager  to  avoid  recognized  routes. 

I  had  no  wish  to  make  a  bad  start  into  the  un- 
known, for  it  might  have  disheartened  my  followers, 
so,  previous  to  encountering  the  hills,  I  despatched  a 
party  of  four  picked  men,  under  Mohamed,  to  spy 
out  the  land,  supplying  them  with  full  instructions 
as  to  how  to  act,  where  to  look  for  water,  and  where 
to  go.  I  may  be  thought  inconsiderate  and  foolish 

240 


The   Shangkalla  Standpoint 

in  sending  so  small  a  number  of  men  into  the  un- 
known, but  if  I  had  asked  only  two  men  to  go  they 
would  have  done  so  without  any  thought  of  danger, 
for  they  had  grown  completely  fearless.  This  was 
a  great  contrast  to  their  feelings  a  few  weeks  back, 
when  most  of  them  dare  not  leave  the  camp  by 
themselves,  and  I  used  to  ask  them  whether  they 
were  afraid  of  the  antelopes.  In  this  connection,  it 
must  be  borne  in  mind  that  when  travelling  and 
exploring,  my  intentions  were  entirely  peaceful,  and 
absolutely  opposed  to  anything  like  hostility.  A 
party  of  twenty  men  without  the  presence  of  myself 
might  have  got  out  of  hand,  and  would  certainly  be 
more  likely  to  impress  any  Shangkallas  they  might 
come  across  that  their  motives  were  unfriendly,  than 
a  party  of  a  quarter  the  size.  Let  the  reader,  if  he 
can,  imagine  himself  to  be  a  Shangkalla  living  in  a 
remote  corner  of  the  globe,  and  passing  a  life  of 
continual  strife  with  surrounding  neighbours  ;  what 
would  he  think  if  one  day  men  of  different  colour 
and  dress  suddenly  appeared  in  his  midst  ?  In  the 
event  of  the  strangers'  numbers  being  but  insig- 
nificant, the  Shangkallas  would  regard  them  with  feel- 
ings of  curiosity,  but  should  the  intruders  approach  in 
force,  the  natives  would  gather  at  once  that  mischief 
was  intended,  and  prepare  to  deal  with  it. 

I  watched  my  little  band  of  explorers  till  they 
disappeared  out  of  sight  over  the  crest  of  the  hills, 
and  then  waited  patiently  for  a  prearranged  signal. 
Two  shots  would  inform  me  that  they  had  succeeded 
in  finding  water,  and  in  that  case  there  would  be 
no  need  for  the  men  to  climb  down  the  hills  again. 

241  R 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

They  could  spend  the  night  on  the  top,  and  await 
our  arrival  early  the  next  day.  If  more  than  two 
shots  were  fired,  it  would  inform  me  that  they  were 
in  trouble,  and  needed  my  assistance.  To  meet 
such  a  contingency,  I  told  off  eight  men  to  be  ready 
to  start  with  me  at  any  time,  at  a  moment's  notice. 
Darkness  had  fallen  over  us  for  some  hours,  and 
still  there  was  no  signal  one  way  or  the  other,  so  I 
lay  down  to  sleep  whilst  there  was  an  opportunity 
of  doing  so,  for  there  was  no  knowing  whether  I  might 
not  be  called  upon  to  race  up  the  hill  in  the  dead 
of  night.  I  had  just  dozed  off,  when  I  was  awakened 
by  the  sound  of  a  shot  echoing  through  the  hills,  and 
a  moment  afterwards  another.  I  sprang  up  to  catch 
the  sound  of  a  third,  when  the  sentry  quietly  re- 
marked, "  Two  only,  geyta."  A  couple  of  hours 
afterwards,  we  heard  a  man  challenge  from  outside 
the  zareba ;  it  was  one  of  my  Abyssinians,  whom 
Mohamed  had  sent  down  to  let  me  know  that  they 
had  found  water,  in  case  by  any  chance  I  had  not 
heard  the  two  shots.  The  good  man,  too,  had 
brought  with  him,  the  whole  way,  a  vessel  of  the 
rain-water  they  had  found,  which  he  handed  to  me, 
remarking  that  he  hoped  I  would  like  it  better  than 
the  water  of  Gallop. 

Outside  our  zareba,  I  saw  footprints  in  the  sand 
— they  must  have  been  the  feet  of  giants — telling  of 
spies  arouhd  our  camp  in  the  night.  I  felt  glad  that 
the  single  Abyssinian  had  not  come  across  any  of 
these  long-footed  individuals.  We  then  commenced 
the  ascent  of  the  hill,  and  discovered  a  very  fair 
winding  track,  which  must  have  been  made  by  the 

242 


Trouble  Brewing 

Shancjkallas  after  an  immense  amount  oflabour.     It 

o 

took  us  fully  two  hours  to  climb,  and,  on  reathing  the 
summit,  there  lay  before  us  an  open  plateau,  a  mile 
or  two  in  extent,  through  which  ran  a  little  water- 
course, where,  luckily,  stood  pools  of  good  water, 
caused  by  the  recent  storms.  There  were  also  the 
remains  of  houses,  so  I  fancy,  at  certain  times  of 
the  year,  there  are  tribes  who  bring  their  flocks  for 
grazing,  and  live  there.  The  young  grass  was  just 
beginning  to  sprout,  and  our  animals  had  to  nibble 
at  some  coarse,  dry  stubble. 

We  had  thus  successfully  accomplished  our  first 
move  westward,  and  from  here  I  again  despatched 
my  Somali  boy,  Mohamed,  with  three  other  men,  to 
have  another  look  for  water,  telling  him  how  to  act 
should  he  meet  any  Shangkallas,  and  to  try  and 
induce  one  of  them,  if  possible,  to  come  and  see 
me,  for  I  had  hopes  of  getting  hold  of  a  local  man 
who  would  act  as  our  guide.  About  the  middle  of 
the  day,  I  saw,  to  my  surprise,  one  of  Mohamed's 
men  running  breathless  into^  camp,  with  the  astound- 
ing news  that  Mohamed  had  been  speared  by  a 
Shangkalla.  All  were  astir,  for  none  could  tell 
what  might  be  upon  us,  and  I  sent  out  a  party  with 
water  and  mules  to  meet  the  returning  men.  On 
their  return,  I  learned  that  Mohamed  and  his  men 
had  penetrated  some  miles  westward  without  en- 
countering anybody,  and  had  then  ascended  a  hill 
by  a  well-worn  track,  from  the  summit  of  which 
they  saw  below  them  people,  villages,  and  cattle. 
Deeming  it  best  to  return  and  give  me  the  news, 
they  were  on  the  point  of  doing  so,  when  they 

243 


Mohamed's  Reprisals 

noticed  six  Shangkallas  walking  up  the  hillside  from 
the  direction  of  the  villages.  The  hilltop  was 
evidently  a  look-out  post  belonging  to  these  people, 
and  I  fancy  the  savages  were  about  to  take  up  their 
position  for  the  day.  Mohamed  and  his  three  men 
decided  it  would  be  advisable  to  await  them,  for,  if 
they  made  off,  they  would  be  seen  and  pursued. 

On  the  savages  drawing  near,  Mohamed  called 
"  Koshumba,  Koshumba,"  which  means  "  white 
man  ; "  then  the  Shangkallas  turned,  and  began  to 
run,  followed  by  Mohamed,  who  ran  after  them,  in 
hopes  of  getting  hold  of  one,  and  persuading  him 
to  come  to  my  tent.  One  of  the  Shangkallas  was 
a  very  indifferent  runner,  and,  finding  that  his  own 
friends  were  not  inclined  to  stop  and  help  him,  and 
that  Mohamed  was  drawing  close,  he  turned  and 
hurled  his  spear  at  the  boy  with  all  his  might. 
Mohamed  clucked,  and  received  the  weapon  in  his 
back,  at  the  side  of  the  spine,  where  it  stuck,  firmly 
planted.  Forgetful  of  my  orders,  in  a  moment  of 
wrath  and  revenge,  he  stood  up  and  shot  the  savage 
dead,  and  then  waited  for  his  own  men  to  come  up 
and  draw  the  spear  from  his  own  body. 

On  examination,  I  found  two  very  deep  wounds 
where  the  spear  had  entered,  and  where  the  point 
had  come  out  lower  down.  The  loss  of  blood 
had  been  very  serious,  so  that  Mohamed  was  in  an 
exceedingly  weak  state.  I  prepared  a  soft  couch 
on  the  ground  in  my  own  tent,  and,  laying  him  upon 
it,  cleansed  the  wounds  with  a  weak  solution  of 
carbolic  acid,  administering  a  few  grains  of  opium 
internally,  to  stop  the  bleeding.  Although  he  could 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

scarcely  walk  for  a  week  or  two  to  come,  he  eventu- 
ally quite  recovered,  and  was  none  the  worse  for 
his  adventure.  He  was  the  best  boy  I  ever  had. 
His  chief  desire  was  to  serve  me  well,  and,  to  do 
this,  he  never  spared  himself  in  any  way.  His 
chief  fault  was  his  utter  recklessness.  His  wound 
proved  his  impetuosity,  for,  totally  regardless  of 
results,  he  had  run  after  six  giants  armed  with 
spears,  in  hopes  of  laying  hold  of  one,  and  bringing 
him  to  me  as  a  preliminary  to  establishing  a  friendly 
understanding  with  the  tribe  ;  for  he  knew  quite  well 
the  importance  I  placed  on  capturing  a  savage,  if  no 
other  course  lay  open  to  us,  as  I  could  then  send 
him  back  again  to  his  own  people  laden  with  valu- 
able presents,  and  thus  secure  the  good  opinion  of 
the  tribe. 


246 


CHAPTER    XXIII 

ADVENTURES    WITH    THE    TRIBES 

Another  expedition  in  search  of  water — Comforting  news — The 
Turkana — Mammoth  warriors — Making  friends  with  the  Tur- 
kana  ladies — A  salutary  lesson  to  my  Abyssinians — Another 
move  into  the  waterless  unknown — We  discover  water — and 
savages — A  deadly  struggle — I  lose  two  of  my  Abyssinians. 

INSTEAD  of  marching  next  day,  as  I  had  intended, 
we  were  compelled  to  halt,  to  rest  the  wounded  boy, 
and  on  the  following  day  we  made  a  short  march 
over  a  belt  of  very  stony  ground  to  the  sandy  bed 
of  a  river,  where  we  found  plenty  of  good  rain-water, 
and  further  remains  of  old  Shangkalla  villages. 
From  this  camp  I  ascended  the  mountains,  and 
spied  out  the  land  from  the  top  of  the  hill  where 
Mohamed  had  met  the  Shangkallas.  I  could  see  no 
signs  of  any  natives,  sheep,  or  cattle,  and  concluded 
they  had  run  off,  and  had  no  intention  of  avenging 
the  death  of  their  comrade.  In  the  distant  valley, 
on  the  other  side  of  the  hills,  across  which  my  route 
lay,  I  concluded  from  the  lie  and  nature  of  the  land 
there  would  be  water.  Still  I  had  no  wish  to  take 
the  entire  caravan  so  far  and  then  find  myself  forced 
to  return,  for,  with  want  of  success,  some  of  the  men 
might  have  lost  heart  and  confidence  in  me  and  my 

247 


'Twixt   Sirdar  and   Menelik 

arrangements.  So  I  packed  off  Shahzad  Mir,  for 
he  and  Mohamed  were  the  only  two  men  I  could 
trust  alone,  in  charge  of  a  party  of  a  dozen  picked 
men,  and  supplies  of  food  and  water  on  mules,  to 
investigate  the  valley  below,  and  send  back  infor- 
mation regarding  water  to  a  prearranged  meeting- 
place,  whither  I  would  march  in  the  morning. 

This  camp  was  pitched  in  a  very  pretty  spot, 
amongst  enormous  rocks  and  trees.  There  was, 
however,  but  little  grass,  and  no  water  that  we 
could  discover,  so  we  were  entirely  dependent  upon 
what  we  brought  up  from  the  river  bed.  I  think 
there  must  have  been  water  somewhere  near  by,  as 
the  Turkana  tribe,  who  lived  in  the  villages  which 
were  quite  close  to  our  encampment,  must  have  had 
some  supply  known  only  to  themselves.  Whither 
they  had  fled  I  had  no  idea,  but  I  had  hopes  that 
when  they  saw  that  we  avoided  all  interference  with 
their  villages,  they  would  know  we  intended  no 
mischief,  and  would  return  and  show  themselves. 

Towards  evening  three  Abyssinians  arrived  from 
Shahzad  Mir,  with  the  comforting  news  that  he  had 
found  water  in  the  valley,  and  had  with  him  five 
camels.  On  the  strength  of  this  information,  we 
loaded  up  by  moonlight,  and  for  four  hours  stumbled 
over  brown  stones  and  rocks  till  we  reached  the 
broad  valley  below,  and  after  two  more  hours' 
travelling  over  a  grassless  land,  we  reached  a  broad 
belt  of  thorn-trees,  where  were  fresh  tracks  of  camels 
and  footprints  of  savages.  As  we  penetrated  further 
into  the  wood,  we  caught  sight  of  several  Turkana 
men  moving  through  the  bushes.  They  appeared 

248 


In   the   Land   of  Giants 

to  be  filled  rather  with  fear  and  curiosity  than  with 
any  intention  of  hostility.  Shortly  afterwards  we 
found  Shahzad  Mir  and  his  party.  They  were 


A   TURKANA   GIANT. 


camped  inside  a  zareba,  close  to  the  sandy  bed  of  a 
river,  where  stood  a  number  of  pools  of  water,  and 
with  them  were  camels,  sheep,  and  donkeys,  and 
two  Turkana  women. 


249 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

The  Turkana  warriors,  who  strolled  about 
among  the  bushes  in  groups  of  four  and  five,  were 
men  of  prodigious  size,  many  of  them  perfect 
giants  in  their  build,  with  a  mass  of  thick,  care- 
fully woven  hair  hanging  over  their  broad  shoulders 
right  down  to  the  waist.  They  carried  extraordi- 
narily long  spears,  and  were  magnificent  specimens 
of  savage  strength.  Shahzad  Mir  had  had  no 
trouble  whatever  with  these  people  ;  he  had  marched 
straight  across  the  valley,  and  having  come  across 
two  women  with  sheep,  donkeys,  and  camels,  had 
taken  the  entire  party  into  his  zareba.  Later  in  the 
day,  the  men  had  appeared,  and  no  doubt  were 
hanging  around  in  alternate  hope  and  fear  as  to  the 
fate  of  their  wives.  The  two  Turkana  women  were 
elderly  souls,  each  blessed  with  a  bright  little  infant, 
and  were  extremely  frightened  on  first  seeing  me. 
It  was  quite  clear  they  thought  their  last  hour  was 
at  hand,  and  it  was  only  by  my  making  them  some 
trifling  present  every  time  I  came  across  them  that, 
gradually,  they  conquered  their  fear.  At  first  they 
could  scarcely  believe  that  the  beads  I  gave  them 
were  really  to  be  their  own.  By  degrees  the  de- 
spairing look  that  overspread  their  countenances 
lifted.  When  it  was  time  for  them  to  leave  us, 
I  returned  them  all  their  donkeys,  and  half  their 
sheep,  and  at  the  same  time  gave  them  other 
donkeys  in  exchange  for  the  camels  and  sheep  we 
were,  in  a  way,  appropriating.  When,  in  addition 
to  this,  I  helped  them  myself  to  load  the  animals 
with  the  goods  I  had  given  them,  they  entirely 
changed,  and  their  true  and  natural  characters 

250 


My   Diplomacy  wrecked 

shone  forth.  They  talked  and  laughed  most  cheerily, 
and  were  quite  loth  to  depart.  I  had  explained  to 
them  over  and  over  again,  by  signs,  at  my  numerous 
interviews,  that  I  required  Lory  (or  camels),  and 
was  ready  to  pay  well  for  them,  and  that  I  had  no 
intention  or  wish  whatever  of  harming  anybody,  or 
taking  anything  without  payment.  On  the  following 
day,  we  found  a  powerful  male  camel  outside  our 
zareba  (the  five  we  already  had  were  females,  for 
the  Turkana  keep  the  animals  only  for  milk,  and 
never  utilize  them  for  baggage),  and  I  verily  believe 
that  this  animal  had  been  sent  to  me  as  a  gift  from 
the  two  elderly  ladies.  He  was  a  magnificent 
fellow ;  carried  a  heavy  load  during  the  entire 
journey,  and  was  finally  sold  by  auction  in  Omdur- 
man  for  seven  pounds  ;  but  then  he  presented  a  very 
different  appearance,  after  months  of  incessant  labour. 
I  was  exceedingly  glad  to  know  that  my  struggles  in 
endeavouring  to  explain  my  wishes  to  the  two 
savages  had  not  been  thrown  away,  and  I  hoped 
that  the  present  of  a  camel  would  be  the  beginning 
of  many  more  friendly  dealings. 

Little  did  I  anticipate  the  rascally  manner  in 
which  my  plans  and  desires  to  leave  a  good  im- 
pression amongst  these  people  were  being  frus- 
trated. For  whilst  I  was,  with  the  aid  of  my  Somalis, 
breaking  in  the  camels  to  the  duty  of  carrying  a 
load,  I  sent  off  three  Habesha  to  try  and  find  graz- 
ing for  the  mules,  and  afterwards  had  reason  to 
suspect  that,  during  their  search  in  the  forest,  they 
had  come  across  the  two  Turkana  ladies,  and  had 
actually  taken  from  them  the  very  cloth  I  had  given 

251 


'Twixt   Sirdar  and   Menelik 

them.  My  first  impulse  was  straightway  to  thrash 
the  men  within  an  inch  of  their  lives,  for  not  only 
had  I  now  to  scheme  for  winning  again  the  friendship 
of  the  tribes,  but  also  to  guard  myself  against  the 
underhand  and  scandalous  doings  of  some  of  my 
own  men.  After  due  reflection,  I  felt  that  if  they 
had  really  taken  the  cloth,  they  would  never  risk 
bringing  it  into  the  zareba  that  same  evening,  but 
would  probably  bury  it  outside,  and  wait  till  the 
night  was  well  advanced.  So  I  kept  silent  for 
three  days,  without  allowing  them  to  suspect  that 
I  had  any  clue  to  their  deed,  and  then,  without 
warning,  I  told  them,  to  the  astonishment  of  all, 
that  as  some  of  the  men  had  three  days  ago  stolen 
the  cloth  I  had  given  the  two  Turkana  women,  I 
was  about  to  institute  a  thorough  search  of  all  the 
baggage.  As  it  happened,  I  had  in  the  mean  time 
carefully  watched  the  three  men  on  whom  my  sus- 
picion lay,  and  first  of  all  investigated  their  portion 
of  the  luggage.  Unhappily,  my  surmises  proved 
correct,  for  the  cloth  was  found  in  the  bags  be- 
longing to  the  men  I  suspected.  They  were  dum- 
founded  when  the  evidence  was  so  clearly  proved 
before  their  own  eyes,  whilst  the  rest  of  the 
Habesha  raved  about,  and  wrung  their  hands, 
protesting  loudly  against  the  conduct  of  their 
brethren,  adding,  that  men  who  acted  after  this 
fashion  in  their  own  country  would,  on  their  return 
home,  suffer  the  penalty  of  having  their  hands  cut 
off  by  order  of  Janhoi.  "Well,"  I  said,  "as  to  the 
corporal  punishment  of  these  men,  I  leave  this  in 
your  own  hands,  and  if  you  have  any  pride,  you  will 

252 


A   Sound   Flogging 

flog  them  yourselves."  Thereupon,  the  three 
offenders  were  brought  forward,  and  each  in  turn 
received  a  sound  thrashing  at  the  hands  of  their 
own  countrymen.  The  more  they  cried  aloud, 
"  Abeit,  abeit "  (justice,  justice),  the  more  I  told 
them  to  lay  on  the  blows.  The  three  men  were 
further,  and,  perhaps,  more  severely  punished,  by 
being  deprived  of  their  rifles  and  belts,  and  forced 
to  carry  a  load  in  their  stead. 

Our  big  caravan,  with  donkeys,  mules,  camels, 
sheep,  and  goats,  moved  off  at  daybreak  from  the 
scene  of  the  theft.  The  day  was  hot,  for  there  was 
not  a  breath  of  wind  to  dry  our  dripping  skins, 
and  as  we  were  about  to  venture  into  an  unknown 
land,  I  led  the  way,  and,  taking  a  couple  of  men, 
kept  well  ahead  of  the  caravan.  After  crossing 
another  sandy  river-bed,  we  marched  steadily  over 
country  which  grew  drier  and  more  parched  the 
further  we  went,  and,  apparently,  there  was  no  like- 
lihood of  finding  water.  Still,  there  was  nothing 
to  be  gained  by  stopping — forward  we  must  go. 
Hotter  and  hotter  shone  the  sun  as  it  rose  higher 
in  the  heavens,  and  the  men  cried  out,  "  Wherever 
is  Geyta  going  to  ?  We  shall  surely  die  for  want 
of  water ! "  And  I  could  not  help  admitting  to 
myself  that  the  aspect  of  the  country  was  far  from 
promising.  Ahead  of  us,  there  lay  a  range  of  dry- 
looking  stony  hills,  and  I  thought  that  if  we  could 
only  manage  to  struggle  to  the  top  of  these,  we 
should  find  ourselves  in  a  far  more  advantageous 
spot  for  halting  than  in  the  stifling  heat  of  the  plains. 
We  should,  at  any  rate,  get  a  cooling  breeze,  and 

253 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

possibly,  too,  be  able  to  see  what  kind  of  country 
lay  on  the  other  side.  It  was  past  noon  when  on 
reaching  the  summit  I  saw  below  me,  on  the  further 
side,  another  sandy  river-bed,  with  green  palms 
growing  on  both  banks.  So  I  waved  back  a  signal 
to  the  caravan,  as  they  struggled  despondently 
along,  that  I  had  found  water,  though  its  actual 
presence  was  by  no  means  a  certainty,  and  then 
hurried  ahead,  with  the  two  men  who  were  with  me 
to  look  for  it. 

We  followed  a  dry  rivulet,  thus  reaching  the 
sandy  bed,  and  were  walking  up  stream,  eagerly 
searching  for  signs  of  water,  when,  to  our  surprise, 
we  saw  a  group  of  twenty  or  more  savages  resting 
on  the  ground  under  the  clump  of  palms.  They 
were  not  more  than  fifty  yards  away  from  us,  and, 
on  becoming  aware  of  our  presence,  sprang  to  their 
feet,  and  for  a  few  minutes  neither  they  nor  we 
did  anything  but  gaze  at  one  another  in  profound 
astonishment.  Then  all  of  a  sudden,  without  any 
visible  cause,  they  turned  and  fled,  leaving  everything 
behind  them  but  their  spears.  Amongst  the  party 
there  chanced  to  be  another  of  our  old  friends,  in 
the  person  of  an  elderly  lady  who  was  unable  to  run, 
so  I  said  to  my  two  men,  "  Go,  and  catch  hold  of 
her  gently,  and  bring  her  to  me."  I  then  selected 
a  spot  further  up  the  river-bed  wherein  to  pitch  our 
camp,  and  there  awaited  the  arrival  of  my  caravan. 
The  fact  of  our  having  discovered  people  living  by 
the  banks  of  the  river,  eased  my  mind  as  to  the 
uncertainty  of  finding  water,  though,  as  sometimes 
water  may  be  present  at  no  great  distance,  yet  most 

254 


The   Persistence  of  Looting 

difficult  to  discover,  I  felt,  by  capturing  the  old 
lady,  I  should  be  able  to  persuade  her  to  show  me 
where  to  find  it,  and  also  to  make  her  understand 
that  I  bore  nothing  but  good  will  towards  her 
friends. 

It  happened  that  the  road  by  which  the  caravan 
was  moving  along  would  bring  them  close  to  the 
trees  where  the  savages  had  been  reclining,  and 
where  all  their  goods  still  lay  scattered  about. 
Whilst  I  rested  under  the  shade  of  a  palm,  it  flashed 
across  my  mind  that,  although  I  had  lectured  my 
Abyssinians  frequently  against  interfering  with  pro- 
perty that  did  not  belong  to  them,  still  I  doubted 
whether  they  would  be  able  to  restrain  themselves 
from  pilfering  the  temporarily  abandoned  goods, 
so  I  doubled  back  to  be  ready  to  check  them,  and 
found  half  a  dozen  of  them  had  already  left  their 
donkeys,  and  were  flitting  here  and  there  amongst 
the  things  that  lay  by  the  palms.  I  at  once  fired 
my  gun  over  their  heads,  to  acquaint  them  of  my 
presence,  and  to  clear  them  off,  and  then  ran  up  to 
administer  corporal  punishment  on  those  I  managed 
to  get  hold  of,  and  thus  fairly  brought  the  entire  lot 
to  a  sense  of  their  duty.  Of  course  they  declared 
that  they  were  only  in  search  of  water  in  the  vessels 
that  were  scattered  about.  This  was  perhaps  true  ; 
still  it  was  unfair  that  one  man  should  get  a  greater 
share  than  another. 

The  Abyssinians,  who,  in  other  respects,  were 
doing  well,  could  not  for  the  life  of  them  understand 
why  I  was  so  particular  to  leave  alone  things  that  did 
not  belong  to  me,  as  their  own  ideas  on  this  point 

255 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

were  totally  at  variance  with  my  own  ;  but  I  was 
determined  they  should  learn  to  feel  that  Shang- 
kallas  were  more  useful  to  them  as  friends  than 
as  enemies,  no  matter  what  price  I  paid  for  my 
tuition,  and  it  will  be  seen  later  on  how  wonderfully 
my  resolve  was  aided  by  the  hand  of  fate. 

The  tribesmen  we  had  now  surprised  turned  out 
to  be  the  Lokub.  They  had  also  left  behind  them 
many  camels,  sheep,  goats,  and  donkeys,  and  as  soon 
as  camp  had  been  formed,  I  brought  the  old  lady 
to  my  tent,  and  made  her  understand  how  much  we 
needed  water,  and  she,  as  though  well  aware  of  the 
discomfort  we  were  in,  explained  to  me  that  we. 
should  find  it  in  two  wells ;  one  up-stream,  and  the 
other  further  off,  down  the  stream.  It  was  gratify- 
ing, before  letting  her  go,  to  be  able  to  verify  her 
statement.  I  then  took  ten  of  the  camels  that  were 
grazing  around,  informing  her  that  they  were  all  I 
required,  but  as  to  donkeys,  sheep,  and  goats, 
I  would  not  touch  them,  and  that  for  the  ten  camels 
I  would  now  give  her  some  of  my  own  donkeys,  as 
well  as  beads  and  cloth.  I  added  that  Koshumba 
(white  man)  was  their  friend,  and  there  was,  there- 
fore, no  need  for  her  people  to  run  away.  I  then 
loaded  her  with  cloth,  beads,  and  knives,  adding 
that  I  would  give  her  still  more  if  she  chose  to  sell 
me  other  camels.  When  it  was  time  for  the  poor 
old  lady  to  depart,  she  could  scarcely  waddle  along, 
so  heavy  was  her  burden  of  presents. 

The  water-holes  which  the  old  lady  had  told  us 
of  were  six  or  eight  feet  deep,  with  a  few  inches  of 
good  clear  water  at  the  bottom.  We  enlarged  and 

256 


A   Fatal    Encounter 

dug  them  out  till  we  were  stopped  by  a  hard  surface 
of  rocks. 

As  it  was  doubtful  whether  our  new  female 
camels  would  understand  marching,  I  decided  to 
halt  the  next  day  and  initiate  them  into  the  work  of 
carrying  loads,  and  also  manufacture  water-skins 
from  our  goats,  so  as  to  be  ready,  if  necessary,  to 
abandon  all  the  mules  and  donkeys,  and  cross  a 
waterless  tract  of  country  by  the  aid  of  camels.  We 
were  all  at  work  at  daybreak  watering  our  animals 
at  the  two  wells,  and  digging  out  other  water-holes, 
training  our  new  camels,  and  making  the  water- 
skins,  so  that  the  morning  slipped  by  only  too 
quickly.  After  the  animals  had  been  watered,  they 
were  taken  away  to  graze  as  best  they  could  off 
the  leaves  of  the  palms,  for  there  was  no  grass  in 
the  valley.  It  was  a  warm  day,  104  degrees 
Fahrenheit  in  the  shade,  and  after  our  work  had 
been  done,  I  was  writing  alone  in  my  tent,  when, 
about  two  o'clock,  my  head  Soudanese  ran  to  me, 
saying  he  had  heard  a  shot  fired.  "  Oh,"  I  said, 
"  I  don't  think  anything  is  the  matter ;  but  take  a 
couple  of  men,  and  go  and  see  what  is  the  meaning 
of  it."  He  had  no  sooner  left  me  than  I  heard  a 
shot  myself,  then  another,  and  another.  It  came 
from  the  direction  of  where  the  animals  were  feeding, 
and  I  felt  then  that  something  had  gone  wrong. 
So,  without  more  ado,  I  shouted  to  two  of  the  men 
to  follow  me,  and  to  the  rest  to  remain  in  camp  ready 
for  any  emergency,  and,  seizing  my  rifle,  ran  off  to 
learn  the  cause.  I  had  not  gone  far,  when  I  met 
an  Abyssinian,  Solon  by  name,  running  along  with 

257  s 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

a  broken  and  blood-stained  spear,  which  he  held  in 
one  hand,  whilst  blood  was  running  from  the  other. 
He  was  so  terribly  excited  that  I  left  him  to 
harangue  the  hills,  and  hurrying  onwards  as  fast  as 
I  could,  soon  reached  the  scene  of  the  firing,  and 
saw  two  men  lying  on  the  ground  a  dozen  yards 
apart,  and  on  drawing  close,  I  found  one  of  them 
to  be  an  Abyssinian,  Aheddy  by  name.  He  lay 
stone  dead,  with  his  head  buried  on  his  folded  arms 
and  a  deep  spear-thrust  through  the  chest.  And, 
a  few  yards  off,  lay  the  dead  body  of  a  naked 
savage,  speared  in  the  neck  and  several  times 
through  the  ribs. 

The  Abyssinians  who  were  with  me,  on  seeing 
their  dead  comrade,  fell  upon  him  and  wept  aloud. 
It  appeared  that  whilst  Aheddy  and  Solon  were 
watching  over  the  mules  they  saw  a  single  savage, 
leading  a  camel,  coming  towards  them  across  the 
open,  and,  as  he  approached,  picking  up  sand  in  lieu 
of  grass,  holding  it  up  and  letting  it  fall  again  to  the 
ground,  as  a  sign  of  friendship.  Then  the  true 
Abyssinian  instinct  was  to  the  fore.  "  Here  is  a 
Shangkalla,"  they  said  ;  "  we  must  shoot  him.  What 
else  can  we  do  ?  He  is  coming  towards  us."  So 
the  two  men  sat  down  and  commenced  firing  at  the 
savage,  who  continued  to  lead  the  camel  and  pick 
up  the  sand  as  he  advanced.  Bang,  bang  went  the 
guns,  but  still  the  poor  ignorant  savage,  always 
dropping  the  sand,  drew  closer  and  closer,  till  he 
was  within  a  few  yards  of  them.  Neither  he  nor 
the  camel  had  so  far  been  touched.  Then  Aheddy, 
finding  him  within  arm's  length,  laid  his  hands  on 

258 


I  point  a  Moral 

the  Shangkalla's  shoulders  and  the  latter  quite 
rightly,  fearing  treachery,  plunged  his  spear  into 
the  chest  of  the  Abyssinian.  Solon  at  once,  casting 
aside  his  rifle,  fought  out  a  death  struggle  with  the 
savage,  to  gain  possession  of  the  spear  from  the  life- 
less body.  The  two  men  were  observed  by  others 
who  had  left  the  camels,  and  were  running  up  to 
the  scene,  to  writhe  and  struggle  on  the  ground  in  a 
deadly  embrace.  It  was  so  willed  that  Solon  should 
be  the  victor,  for  having  gained  the  weapon,  he 
plunged  it,  again  and  again,  through  and  through 
the  body  of  his  foe.  So  fiercely  had  he  grasped  the 
blade  that  one  of  his  own  hands  had  almost  been 
severed. 

Leaving  the  dead  body  of  the  brave  savage  to 
the  care  of  his  tribe,  for  I  concluded  they  had  pro- 
bably watched  the  scene  from  the  adjoining  hills,  I 
told  the  Abyssinians  to  bring  away  their  dead 
brother  and  bury  him,  for  I  was  anxious  to  quit  the 
place,  so  that  the  savages  might  be  encouraged  to 
come  down  and  take  away  their  own  dead  man. 

That  same  evening  I  assembled  my  Abyssinians, 
and  informed  them  how  grieved  I  was  at  the  death 
of  the  Shangkalla.  I  told  them  that  he  had  merely 
come  to  give  or  sell  me  a  camel,  and  that  they  in 
return  had  actually  tried  to  shoot  him.  I  asked 
them  whether  they  now  recognized  that  the  Shang- 
kallas  were  friends  and  not  foes.  Since  they  had 
paid  no  heed  to  my  words  on  this  point,  they  had 
now  suffered  a  severe  lesson,  and  I  furthermore  told 
them  that  I  had  no  more  pity  for  their  own  dead 
comrade  than  for  one  of  my  sheep  with  its  throat  cut. 

259 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

It  was  the  Shangkalla  whose  death  I  lamented. 
They  then  confessed  that,  instead  of  helping  me  in 
my  travels,  they  had,  by  their  behaviour,  but  added 
to  my  existing  difficulties. 

The  miserable  rifle  exhibition   that   Solon  and 
Aheddy  had  displayed  rather  tickled  me,  after  all 


CAMELS    CROSSING   A    RIVER. 


the  pains  I  had  been  put  to  in  trying  to  improve 
their  target  practice.  Apart  from  the  serious  view 
of  the  question,  the  whole  affair  was  ridiculous,  and 
one  thing  was  quite  evident,  that  if  a  single  savage 
could  walk  slowly  up  unhurt  when  two  of  my  men 
were  firing  all  they  could,  then  twenty  savages  would 

260 


Poisoned  Arrows 

be  a  match  for  us  all.  Although  my  men  were  fairly 
good  marksmen  against  a  target,  they  were  no  use 
whatever  against  a  living  mark.  Here  were  two 
of  my  men  deliberately  sitting  down  and  blazing 
away  at  a  savage  and  camel  from  any  distance  to 
within  a  few  yards,  but  absolutely  without  effect. 
It  was  fortunate,  indeed,  that  the  tribe  never  had  an 
inkling  of  how  despicable  our  rifles  are  in  the  hands 
of  incompetent  men. 

Strangely  enough,  at  this  same  camp  it  was 
destined  that  my  Abyssinians  should  pay  a  heavy 
penalty  for  stealing  as  well  as  for  shooting.  One  of 
them  had  appropriated  some  poisoned  arrows,  and 
the  poison  had  come  in  contact  with  a  tiny  scratch 
on  the  middle  finger  of  the  right  hand.  Soon  after- 
wards, the  man,  whose  name  was  Liban,  came  to 
me  complaining  of  a  swollen  hand,  and  I  put  on  a 
bread  poultice,  telling  him  he  must  have  got  some 
dirt  into  the  finger.  The  swelling  grew  worse  and 
worse,  despite  the  poultice  and  a  dose  of  Epsom 
Salts,  for  I  had  no  idea  of  the  real  cause  of  the  pain, 
and  fancied  the  man's  blood,  as  he  was  a  big,  stoutly 
built  fellow,  was  overheated.  I  did  not  know  what 
had  caused  the  swelling  until  two  days  later,  when 
he  died  on  the  road,  and  then  his  friends  told  me 
that  he  had  seized  some  poisoned  arrows.  In  many 
ways,  after  this,  the  Abyssinians  remembered  the  ill- 
fated  camp,  and  believed  and  took  heed  to  what 
I  told  them. 


=6 1 


CHAPTER    XXIV 

AMONG    THE    TURKANAS 

Death  of  Liban — Meeting  with  a  Turkana  giant — Marvellous  head- 
gear— I  sleep  with  a  Turkana  chief — A  dense  forest — Hordes  of 
flying  beetles — A  stiff  climb — Herds  of  white  camels — A  Turkana 
merry-making — The  Loka  tribe. 

DURING  the  night  the  sentries  woke  me  up,  saying 
there  were  Shangkallas  running  about  amongst  the 
palms,  and  asked  whether  they  had  not  better  fire  at 
them.  "  Why  fire  ? "  I  said.  "  What  does  it  matter, 
if  a  thousand  of  them  run  about  the  palms.  They  are 
doing  us  no  harm  ;  besides,  if  you  fire,  they  will 
assuredly  walk  up  untouched,  and  spear  the  whole 
lot  of  us,  in  the  same  way  that  they  have  killed 
Aheddy."  "  If  that  is  the  case,  we  won't  fire," 
replied  the  sentries.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  I  was 
rather  glad  when  dawn  broke,  and  we  loaded  up  to 
march  westwards  over  the  hill,  chancing  to  our  luck 
in  finding  water.  Just  before  leaving,  I  placed 
under  the  palms  a  pile  of  cloth,  beads,  and  other 
odds  and  ends,  so  that  the  old  lady,  if  she  came 
across  them,  might  possibly  conclude  that  yesterday's 
mishap  was,  after  all,  only  a  mistake.  I  have  often 
afterwards  thought  of  the  old  lady  and  her  friends, 
and  wondered  what  opinion  they  formed  of  me. 

262 


We  are  tracked 

We  followed  a  track  running  along  by  the  side 
of  a  nullah,  and  as  we  moved  off,  we  saw  numbers 
of  savages  following  us  along  the  crests  of  the  hills 
on  both  sides.  However,  they  never  ventured  to 
come  very  near,  and  beyond  keeping  a  sharp  look- 
out, I  took  no  notice  of  them.  I  fancy  they  were 
only  following  us  to  see  if  there  were  a  chance  of 
getting  anything  else  besides  the  goods  I  had  left 
under  the  trees,  for  once,  when  one  of  our  sheep 
became  too  tired  to  march,  they  pounced  down  and 
carried  it  off. 

After  going  for  two  or  three  hours,  we  came  to 
a  spring  in  a  very  narrow  part  of  a  nullah,  so  narrow 
that  only  three  or  four  animals  could  be  watered 
at  a  time,  and  not  wishing  to  chance  a  disaster  at 
the  hands  of  Shangkallas,  I  posted  sentries  on  the 
neighbouring  hills,  and  successfully  watered  the  entire 
caravan.  We  afterwards  crossed  over  an  easy  pass, 
and,  further  on,  finding  water  about  two  feet  below 
the  surface,  on  a  sandy  river-bed,  camped  there. 
The  same  afternoon,  I  reconnoitred  the  country 
ahead,  and  seeing  plenty  of  people  with  cattle  and 
camels  at  the  foot  of  the  hills,  decided  to  march 
there  the  next  morning.  We  found  a  good  track, 
and  on  reaching  the  intended  camping-ground,  dis- 
covered that  all  the  people  had  gone.  Not  that  it 
mattered,  as  there  was  plenty  of  water  just  under 
the  surface  of  the  river-bed,  close  to  which  they  had 
been  living.  I  marched  again  that  same  afternoon, 
and  saw  people  fleeing  over  the  white,  sandy  plains, 
which  were  dotted  with  thorn  bushes,  and  cut  up 
by  sandy  rivulets,  driving  their  camels  and  sheep 

263 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

before  them.  Some  of  the  savages  ventured  to 
come  comparatively  close  to  my  caravan,  but  never 
near  enough  to  talk  to  me.  Not  that  I  minded,  for 
I  had  had  dealings  sufficiently  intimate  with  them  to 
last  me  for  some  days. 

It  was  during  this  march  that  the  unfortunate 
Liban  lay  down  and  died,  from  the  cause  pre- 
viously mentioned.  We  thereupon  halted  on  the 
spot,  and  the  Abyssinians  buried  him  in  one  of  the 
sandy  river-beds,  lamenting  in  a  loud  wail  the  death 
of  their  comrade.  They  were  certainly  paying  a 
heavy  price  as  the  penalty  of  disobedience.  Although 
we  had  lost  two  men,  the  remainder  were  in  excellent 
health  ;  we  were  all  as  well  as  men  could  be,  and  my 
two  dogs  were  equally  full  of  life.  My  only  dis- 
comfort was  the  injured  finger,  half  of  which  I  knew 
was  lost  to  me.  In  order  that  the  Abyssinians 
might  forget  their  grief,  I  moved  off  at  3  a.m.  I 
had  also  a  second  reason  for  making  an  early  march, 
for  I  did  not  expect  to  discover  water  until  we 
reached  the  next  range  of  hills.  We  had  a  pleasant 
march  for  seven  hours  across  the  white  sands,  where 
we  saw  sand-grouse,  giraffe,  gazelle,  and  bustard. 
We  then  came  to  a  low,  easy  pass,  lying  between 
hills  of  basalt,  where  grew  a  multitude  of  green 
bushes,  which  at  once  convinced  me  that  water 
must  be  present  in  the  hills  less  than  a  mile  away. 
So  I  sent  off  three  separate  parties  to  search  for  it, 
offering  rewards  to  those  who  were  the  first  to  dis- 
cover it,  and  in  about  an  hour's  time  I  saw  three  of 
the  Habesha  running  in  towards  camp — they  had 
won  the  prize. 

264 


The  Turkana  Chief 

As  usual,  I  was  well  ahead  of  my  caravan  the 
next  morning,  accompanied  by  four  men,  when  we 
came  upon  a  naked  youth  tending  a  flock  of  sheep 
and  goats.  I  stopped  and  beckoned  to  him,  and, 
on  his  coming  up,  asked  him  to  show  me  where 
there  was  water.  He  left  his  charge,  and  took  me 
to  a  village  very  much  resembling  a  Somali  karia, 
where  I  could  see  there  were  a  number  of  people 
inside.  After  waiting  for  a  minute  or  two,  a  Tur- 
kana chief  of  prodigious  stature  stepped  outside  the 
zareba,  and  strode  towards  me.  He  was  a  perfect 
giant,  and  made  us  feel  like  pigmies.  In  his  right 
hand  he  carried  a  spear  twice  his  own  length,  and 
it  was  with  a  feeling  of  pleasure,  I  confess,  that  I 
noticed  the  edge  and  point  of  it  were  carefully  covered 
with  a  thin  piece  of  leather.  In  his  left  hand  he 
carried  a  stick,  a  wooden  sleeping-pillow,  and  a  long- 
shaped  receptacle  for  tobacco.  Round  his  neck  were 
fastened  several  rings  of  iron,  which  forced  and  held 
his  chin  a  little  higher  than  it  would  have  naturally 
been.  There  were  iron  rings  right  up  his  forearm 
and  round  some  of  his  fingers.  There  were  rings 
of  brass  hanging  from  his  ears,  and  a  small  chain 
around  his  waist.  In  other  respects  he  was  quite 
naked.  But  his  hair  ! — it  would  have  been  a  puzzle 
for  TrufitL  It  was  as  thick  as  a  felt  numnah, 
and  hung  in  a  thickly  woven  mass  clean  over  the 
shoulders,  right  down  to  the  waist,  in  the  shape 
of  an  oval.  As  though  not  contented  with  this 
wonderful  adornment  of  Nature,  he  had  fastened  a 
very  thin  stick,  curled  up  like  a  tail,  close  in  the  end 
of  the  hair,  and  he  always  showed  great  care  in  its 

265 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

welfare  and  in  seeing  there  was  no  chance  of  its 
coming  to  grief.  The  end  of  his  hair  was  curled  up, 
and  in  it  he  carried  his  little  knickknacks. 

I  made  him  understand  that  my  caravan  was 
some  way  behind,  and  that  when  they  came  I  should 
camp  outside  his  zareba.  While  waiting,  several 
fine-limbed  and  fairly  good-looking  damsels,  far  from 
shy,  came  out,  bringing  me  wooden  vessels  filled 
with  milk,  while  the  chief  himself  brought  me  a  sheep 
in  his  own  arms.  By  the  time  my  caravan  had 
arrived,  it  had  been  noised  about  that  a  Koshumba 
had  come,  and  other  Turkana  very  shortly  appeared 
on  the  scene.  They  were,  however,  all  very  friendlily 
disposed,  and  as  we  had  no  zareba,  they  strode  about 
our  camp  as  they  chose.  Some  of  them  wore  ostrich 
feathers  in  their  hair,  brass  rings  in  the  chin  and 
nose,  and  rings  of  hair  round  the  biceps,  and  some 
of  them  were  always  begging  me  to  let  them  have 
the  tails  of  the  mules  for  adorning  their  arms.  They 
all  loved  red,  blue,  and  white  beads,  and,  I  must  own, 
were  rather  greedy.  Yet  one  forgot  their  avarice, 
intermingled  as  it  was  with  much  laughter  and 
merriment.  The  head  warrior  explained  that  he 
would  show  me  water  a  little  further  on,  close  to 
which  we  should  be  able  to  camp  for  the  night.  He 
pointed  out  a  hole  about  four  feet  deep,  in  a  sandy 
nullah,  and  taking  off  his  sandals,  which  were  made 
of  elephant-hide,  jumped  down  and  began  digging 
up  the  sand  with  his  own  hands.  Whilst  engaged 
in  this  operation,  one  of  the  Abyssinians  took  it  into 
his  head  to  appropriate  the  warrior's  shoes.  The 
whole  thing  struck  me  as  very  comical,  though  it 

266 


Hunt  the   Slipper! 

was  no  joke.  When  wet  and  covered  with  moist 
sand,  this  gigantic  savage  pulled  himself  out  of  the 
hole,  and  found  his  boots  missing.  He  was  in  a 
towering  rage,  and  the  more  I  endeavoured  to 
explain  matters  and  pacify  him,  the  more  wrathful 
he  became,  and  I  half  expected  to  see  him  at  any 
moment  dealing  havoc  amongst  my  men,  starting 
with  myself.  He  seized  his  spear,  and  strode  into 
our  camp,  which  we  had  made  a  hundred  yards  away 
from  the  water-hole,  presenting  a  magnificent  picture 
of  savage  ferocity.  Something  had  to  be  done,  or 
we  should  very  likely  have  had  the  whole  tribe  upon 
us.  So  I  summoned  all  my  followers  together,  really 
for  safety's  sake,  but  ostensibly  to  tell  the  Abys- 
sinians  that  unless  the  shoes  were  at  once  forth- 
coming, I  would  leave  them  in  the  hands  of  the 
Turkana,  and  march  away  with  my  Somalis  and 
Soudanese.  This  elicited  from  them  the  where- 
abouts of  the  shoes,  and  taking  the  Turkana  chief 
by  the  arm,  I  showed  him  his  property  hidden  in 
the  trunk  of  a  tree.  His  usual  remark  at  everything 
was  a  very  short  and  jerky  exclamation  of  "  Up ! 
up  ! "  so,  after  he  had  finished  his  "  upping,"  he 
grinned,  and  on  the  strength  of  finding  the  shoes, 
and  to  my  concern,  decided  to  spend  the  night 
inside  my  zareba.  To  have  turned  him  out,  or  to 
have  disagreed  with  his  proposition,  would  have 
been  an  unfriendly  action  on  my  part,  so  I  had  to 
appear  delighted  at  his  self-invitation,  and  after  pro- 
viding him  with  supper,  I  gave  him  a  piece  of  cloth 
to  put  over  his  body,  for  he  looked  so  cold,  lying,  as 
he  was,  stark  naked  on  the  bare  ground.  I  also 

267 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

took  the  precaution  of  placing  a  sentry  over  him 
during  the  night  with  a  loaded  carbine,  explaining 
to  the  savage  my  reason  for  doing  so,  that  he  might 
be  quite  safe  from  anybody  interfering  with  his 
slumbers.  At  the  same  time,  I  impressed  upon  the 
sentry  that  his  duties  were  to  see  that  this  Turkana 
giant  didn't  upset  mine.  The  poor  fellow  had  never 
been  accustomed  to  be  watched  all  night  long  ;  he 
moved  from  one  side  to  the  other,  and  never  closed 
an  eye  throughout  the  night,  for  he  could  not  stand 
the  feeling  of  a  man  watching  over  him.  The  next 
morning,  I  tried  hard  to  induce  my  big  friend  to 
wear  a  cloth  round  his  waist,  but  he  and  I,  in  this 
respect,  differed,  and  he,  of  course,  had  to  have 
his  own  way.  During  the  morning  many  Turkana 
came  to  visit  us,  and  they  were  always  friendly  and 
merry. 

When  it  was  time  to  load  up  and  move  on, 
I  found  that  six  of  the  mules  were  missing. 
Although  my  men  maintained  the  Turkana  had 
stolen  them,  I  did  not  believe  it  for  a  moment. 
And  when,  eventually,  the  Turkana  themselves 
helped  us  to  successfully  track  them,  and  bring  them 
back,  for  they  had  strayed,  all  agreed  that  friendly 
Shangkallas  were  more  useful  than  hostile  ones. 

We  passed  several  villages  of  the  Turkana  as 
we  marched  off,  in  each  of  which  groups  of  mag- 
nificent men  and  women  watched  with  interest  the 
entire  caravan  go  by.  After  leaving  the  last  village, 
we  saw  no  living  creature  at  all  but  gazelle.  Whilst 
asleep  that  night,  I  was  forcibly  awakened  by  a 
sharp  blow  on  the  forehead,  and  the  blood  was 

268 


Wounded  by  a   Camel 

trickling  down  my  face  as  I  jumped  up,  revolver  in 
hand,  ready  for  whatever  might  be  in  store  for  me. 
The  sentries  at  first,  until  they  saw  me  bleeding, 
fancied  I  was  yet  another  victim  of  our  old  Walamo 
devils.  It  turned  out  that  one  of  the  camels  had 
been  kicking  on  the  stony  soil,  and  had  sent  a  flint 
with  considerable  force  against  my  forehead. 

The  next  morning  we  reached  a  dense  forest, 
and  experienced  some  difficulty  in  getting  through 
the  thick  undergrowth,  the  fine-timbered  trees,  and 
the  high,  rich  grass.  The  place  was  alive  with  birds, 
including  the  honeybird,  and  it  was  the  haunt  of 
elephants.  We  halted  on  the  banks  of  a  river-bed 
— known  as  the  River  Tugwell — under  the  cool 
shade  of  tall  trees  till  the  afternoon,  to  feed  up  our 
transport  on  the  excellent  grazing.  If  we  had  only 
had  with  us  a  greater  supply  of  food,  or  had  my  hand 
allowed  me  to  shoot,  I  should  have  remained  in  that 
lonely  forest  for  many  days. 

At  this  time  of  the  year  there  was  no  running 
water,  it  lay  in  deep  pools  at  various  bends  of  the 
river,  and  satisfied  the  thirst  of  wild  animals  large 
and  small.  In  the  afternoon  we  saw  more  of  the 
Turkana,  who  fled,  driving  away  their  flocks  before 
them ;  but  it  chanced  that  some  of  their  donkeys 
came  after  our  caravan,  and  Shahzad  Mir,  who  was 
in  the  rear,  drove  them  back  again  to  the  tribesmen, 
and  after  that  they  ceased  to  run  away,  and  even 
the  women  and  children  lost  their  fear.  At  night- 
fall we  camped  in  sight  of  some  distant  smoke,  and, 
later  on,  the  braying  of  our  donkeys  attracted  the 
people,  for  a  couple  of  Turkana  men  strolled  into  our 

269 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Mcnelik 

camp,  saying  they  had  heard  our  donkeys,  and  had 
wondered  where  on  earth  they  could  have  come  from. 
They  were  much  astonished  at  our  stopping  where 
we  had  done,  for,  as  he  rightly  remarked,  there  was 
no  water.  I  told  them  we  had  camped  because  the 
sun  set,  and  as  to  the  dearth  of  water,  we  had 
brought  sufficient  with  us  for  the  evening. 

After  having  eaten  some  supper  in  our  camp, 
they  took  their  departure,  assuring  me  that  at  day- 
break they  would  come  and  show  me  where  to  find 
water  ahead.  Our  friends  could  not  have  been  very 
early  risers,  for  at  dawn  there  were  no  Turkana 
forthcoming.  It  mattered  little,  for  I  had  already 
made  up  my  mind  to  steer  for  a  big  range  of  hills 
running  north  and  south,  and  to  follow  the  river 
valley  at  their  base,  as  there  would  then  be  every 
likelihood  of  getting  water. 

We  had  only  marched  for  about  an  hour,  when 
our  Turkana  friends  of  the  previous  evening  over- 
took us,  and  conducted  us  to  some  good  pools  ; 
and  whilst  enjoying  our  midday  halt,  several  more 
Turkana  turned  up,  and  talked  with  us  about  the 
country.  I  offered  them  each  a  piece  of  sugar, 
but  could  not  induce  them  even  to  .lick  it,  so  sus- 
picious were  they  of  some  underhand  devilment  of 
the  Koshumba,  and  I  am  sure  that  they  looked  upon 
me  in  the  same  way  as  I  regarded  them  :  as  a  quite 
unenlightened  being. 

We  passed  on  through  many  karias  of  the  Tur- 
kana ;  there  were  great  numbers  of  sheep,  goats, 
donkeys,  and  camels,  but  we  interfered  with  nothing 
at  all,  and  nobody  interfered  with  us.  I  spent 

270 


The   Beetles'   Victory 

rather  an  unpleasant  night,  for  I  was  besieged 
by  hordes  of  flying  beetles,  who  attacked  me  by 
stealth.  Instead  of  flying  with  a  good  honest  buzz, 
and  a  "  phut "  against  my  face,  they  would  silently 
crawl  up  into  my  pyjamas.  Ten  of  them  lay  in 
ambush  under  my  pillow,  and  more  alongside  my 
body,  and  many,  not  contented  with  bringing  their 
own  obnoxious  bodies  singly,  carried  droppings  of 
camels  and  donkeys  as  well,  as  though  resolved  to 
shift  me  somehow  or  other.  In  this  they  were 
finally  successful — I  was  completely  beaten. 

We  worked  along  the  foot  of  a  big  range  of 
hills,  which  I  intended  crossing  at  the  very  first 
chance  that  offered  itself.  The  highest  peaks 
appeared  to  be  topped  with  white  and  pink  sand- 
stone dropping  perpendicularly,  whilst  most  of  the 
hillside  was  green  with  bush,  trees,  and  grass,  with 
rocks  of  basalt  here  and  there.  We  had  no  more 
Turkana  tracks  to  follow,  so  made  use  of  those 
furnished  by  the  elephants  and  rhinoceros.  It  was 
a  lovely  country  ;  there  was  plenty  of  water  below 
the  surface  in  many  of  the  rivulets  that  took  their 
rise  from  the  hills ;  the  days  were  cool,  and  the 
mornings  cloudy,  and  we  were  all  in  the  best  of 
health.  Owing  to  the  steep  nature  of  the  hillsides, 
it  was  some  days  before  we  could  discover  a  means 
of  crossing  them.  I  should  say  that  the  greater 
part  of  the  drainage  from  these  hills  runs  away 
westward,  as,  on  our  side,  there  was  no  river  of 
sufficient  dimensions  to  carry  off  the  water  that  must 
emanate  from  such  lofty  mountains. 

At  last,   one  afternoon,  we  discovered  a  valley 

271 


'Twixt   Sirdar  and  Menelik 

running  westward,  and  after  following  it  up  for 
some  miles,  came  to  a  beautiful  pond.  It  bore 
almost  an  artificial  appearance,  for  rocks  and  stones 
lay  evenly  along  the  edges,  and  the  shape  was 
circular.  And  all  around  grew  fine  turf  and  green 
bushes.  Here  we  halted  for  the  night,  so  as  to 
have  the  whole  of  the  next  day  before  us  to  nego- 
tiate the  steep  hills  that  barred  our  way.  Axes  and 
choppers — in  fact,  all  our  pioneer  implements — were 
in  request  as  we  commenced  to  climb.  Throughout 
the  ascent,  we  were  frequently  aided  by  old  elephant- 
tracks.  Yet,  there  were  some  places  that  I  thought 
must  baffle  my  camels,  and  I  quite  agreed  with  my 
Somalis  that  the  camels  of  their  own  country  could 
never  have  crawled  up  the  steep,  stony,  and  thickly 
overgrown  places  that  our  female  camels  travelled 
over.  The  foliage  was  so  thick  overhead  that 
these  patient  brutes  were  forced  to  kneel  down  and 
literally  crawl  along  portions  of  the  ascent  on  their 
knees.  Still,  men  and  animals  were  determined  to 
reach  the  top  somehow  or  other,  and  although  all 
worked  with  a  will,  my  caravan  straggled  to  an 
alarming  extent. 

After  waiting  on  a  grassy  slope  near  the  summit 
for  the  majority  of  the  men  and  animals  to  collect, 
I  went  ahead  with  four  men  to  spy  out  the  land, 
whilst  the  remainder  came  along  slowly.  After 
descending  a  short  distance  down  the  western  side, 
which  afforded  us  easy  going  in  comparison  to  the 
eastern,  we  saw,  in  the  green  valleys  of  grass  and  bush 
beneath  us,  innumerable  camels  and  sheep  dotted 
about  everywhere.  Yet,  in  spite  of  my  field-glasses, 

272 


We   come  upon   Festivity 

we  could  discover  no  people.  It  struck  me  that  before 
we  found  water  again  we  should  have  to  reach  this 
valley,  so  we  pegged  away  downhill,  and  very 
shortly  found  ourselves  in  the  midst  of  the  beautiful 
white  camels  we  had  seen  from  above,  who  made  off 
to  either  flank  on  seeing  us.  We  were  making  for 
the  bed  of  a  river,  which  we  had  discovered  by 
reason  of  the  belt  of  trees  along  its  banks,  when  the 
sound  of  men  singing  reached  our  ears.  It  re- 
minded me  very  much  of  the  cheerful  noise  Somalis 
are  accustomed  to  make  when  drawing  water  from 
the  wells  in  their  own  land.  So  I  imagined  we  should 
find  the  natives  here  employed  likewise,  and  we  at 
once  turned  in  the  direction  of  the  singing,  and  came 
in  sight  of  one  of  the  usual  karias,  or  villages,  close 
to  which  stood  a  large  and  shady  tree.  It  was, 
doubtless,  a  favourite  spot  for  midday  siestas,  for 
sitting  and  lying  in  the  shade  beneath  were  a  dozen 
or  more  fine  savages,  whom  I  at  once  recognized  as 
belonging  to  the  Turkana  tribe.  In  the  bushes,  too, 
by  the  tree,  were  many  others  dancing  and  singing 
and  waving  their  spears.  These  were  the  men  who 
had  attracted  my  attention,  but,  instead  of  drawing 
water,  they  were  enjoying  a  real  good  jollification.  I 
walked  up  with  my  four  men,  towards  those  sprawling 
in  the  shade,  and  although  they  saw  us,  they  seemed 
in  no  way  surprised,  they  neither  moved  nor  made 
any  sign  to  me.  One  would  have  imagined  that 
Koshumbas  passed  by  every  hour  of  the  day. 

After  a  minute  or  two  the  dancing  ceased,  and 
the  young  bloods  joined  their  elders  under  the  trees. 
So  I  walked  up  to  within  ten  yards  of  them,  not 

273  T 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

caring  to  go  any  closer,  and  there  I  stood  awaiting 
to  be  addressed,  but  they  neither  spoke  nor  rose. 
So,  hardly  knowing  what  was  the  best  thing  to  do, 
I  called  out,  "  Gibi,  gibi ! ""  which  means,  "  Water, 
water ! "  in  an  interrogative  tone,  and  after  a 
moment's  consultation,  one  man  rose,  apparently 
the  chief.  He  was  of  immense  stature,  a  wonderful 
man  to  gaze  upon,  adorned  with  the  same  remark- 
able hair  already  described.  "  Koshumba,  ko- 
shumba.  Gibi,  gibi,"  I  repeated,  airing  the  extent  of 
my  Turkana  vocabulary. 

The  savage  grinned  pleasantly,  and  pointed  with 
his  long  spear  towards  the  river  we  had  intended 
reaching,  and  after  a  little  more  signalling  and  grin- 
ning between  us,  he  led  the  way,  accompanied  by 
three  other  men  of  his  tribe  to  direct  us  to  the  water. 
There  were  merely  some  water-holes  dug  about  two 
feet  deep  in  the  sandy  river-bed.  Here  I  selected 
a  shady  bush  to  await  the  arrival  of  my  caravan,  in 
the  mean  time  amusing  myself  and  my  Turkana 
friends  with  endeavours  to  gather  from  them  infor- 
mation of  the  country  and  people  living  around.  It 
was  three  or  four  hours  later  before  my  rear-guard 
arrived  in  camp,  but  already  numbers  of  Turkana, 
men  and  women,  had  brought  vessels  of  dhura  to 
sell  for  food. 

This  spot  was  so  thickly  bushed,  and  the  Turkana 
tribe  were  in  such  force,  that  as  soon  as  my  men 
had  eaten,  I  loaded  up  with  the  intention  of  march- 
ing along  the  river-bed  till  we  found  an  open  spot 
to  pass  the  night  in.  Towards  sunset  we  came 
to  more  villages.  At  first  the  people  ran  away 

274 


The   Loka    People 

leaving  their  camels  and  sheep  at  my  mercy,  but 
when  they  saw  us  driving  away  those  of  their  camels 
that  had  come  after  our  caravan,  they  gathered 
courage  and  approached  us  with  beaming  faces. 
We  were  compelled,  owing  to  the  bushy  nature  of 
the  bank,  to  camp  in  the  bed  of  the  river  itself. 
This  is  always  rather  a  risky  business,  for  one  can 
never  know  in  the  tropics  when  a  storm  is  going  to 
appear ;  and  this  evening  I  was  much  exercised  in 
my  mind  as  to  whether  we  had  not  been  too  rash 
in  camping  where  we  had  done,  for  heavy  clouds 
were  gathering  up  from  all  sides  and  everything 
heralded  a  wet  night.  Not  that  we  minded  the  rain 
itself,  but  we  should  have  been  sorely  tried  had  our 
sandy  river-bed  been  suddenly  changed  to  a  rushing 
torrent.  About  ten  o'clock  it  was  with  a  feeling  of 
relief  I  saw  a  storm  in  full  play  passing  away  north- 
wards, for  we  had  thus  not  only  been  spared  dis- 
comfort that  night,  but  there  was  every  likelihood 
of  finding  water  in  the  country  north  of  us  which 
we  were  about  to  traverse.  After  following  the 
river-bed  ten  miles,  we  came  to  a  broad  valley  of  short 
grass,  where  round  about  were  camels,  sheep,  and 
donkeys  belonging  to  the  Loka  tribe.  These  people 
at  first  were  very  much  afraid  ;  some  running  away 
altogether,  while  others  did  their  best  to  drive 
away  their  property  as  well.  Whilst  the  women  and 
the  children  of  the  Loka  were  thus  occupied,  several 
of  their  warriors  approached  my  caravan  from  both 
sides.  I  went  towards  them,  calling  out,  "  Ko- 
shumba  !"  and  holding  up  grass,  when  a  couple  of 
the  savages  came  to  me.  We  were  very  soon  friends, 

275 


'Twixt   Sirdar  and   Menelik 

and  they  guided  me  to  a  good  watering-place,  the 
result  of  the  recent  storm  They  told  me,  that  at 
first  they  had  taken  us  for  the  "  Tencha,"  whoever 
they  may  be,  and  had  prepared  to  flee  in  conse- 
quence. I  fancy  that,  in  all  probability,  they 
meant  by  "  Tencha  "  the  "  Turkana." 


THE   LOKA   TRIBE. 


After  we  had  settled  down,  many  men,  women, 
and  children  of  the  Loka  visited  our  camp,  bringing 
with  them  dhura  to  exchange  for  beads.  This 
dhura  was  not  the  produce  of  their  own  labours,  as 
it  had  been  brought  from  tribes  living  further  west 
and  north.  The  Loka  were  quite  the  nicest  tribe 
we  had,  so  far,  come  across.  They  were  quiet, 

276 


The   Value   of  Water 

well-behaved,  respectful,  and  very  intelligent.  They 
implored  me  to  remain  till  the  morrow,  when  they 
would  bring  me  some  sheep  ;  but  when  they  found 
I  was  not  to  be  tempted,  they  of  their  own  accord 
agreed  to  show  me  where  to  find  the  next  water. 
It  is  curious  to  notice  the  importance  that  all  the 
tribes  attach  to  the  whereabouts  of  water,  and  the 
readiness  with  which  they  always  point  it  out.  I 
cannot  help  thinking  that  most  of  them,  at  some 
period  of  their  lives,  must  have  suffered  severe  hard- 
ships for  want  of  it,  probably  due  to  an  abnormally 
dry  year,  for  in  this  part  of  the  country  there  does 
not  appear  to  be  any  want  of  water  a  few  feet  below 
most  of  the  sandy  river-beds  even  at  this  dry 
season. 


277 


CHAPTER   XXV 

ANXIOUS    TIMES    WITH    THE    ABBAS 

The  anxieties  of  caravan  life — Beautiful  but  uninhabited  tracts — 
Heavy  rains — Casualties  in  the  bogs — Camels  -versus  donkeys — 
A  source  of  the  Sobat — Two  welcome  guides — Encamped  among 
the  Abbas — An  impromptu  market — Difficulties  with  an  Abba 
chief— An  anxious  night — Every  man  to  his  post — Surrounded  in 
the  bush — A  successful  ruse. 

As  we  continued  to  travel  north  or  north-west,  we 
were  in  total  ignorance  of  what  we  were  about  to 
encounter  each  day,  for  the  only  information  that 
the  maps  afforded  us  was  a  blank.  The  three 
great  questions  that  were  our  chief  consideration 
were  whether  we  should  find  water  and  grass, 
whether  we  should  meet  people  and  what  would  be 
their  attitude  towards  us,  and  whether  we  should 
come  across  game  we  could  shoot  for  food.  It  was 
this  absolute  uncertainty  that  increased  the  work 
of  every  member  of  the  caravan.  We  guarded 
ourselves  against  the  first  by  always  carrying  a 
day's  supply  of  water,  so,  if  one  day  we  were  un- 
successful in  finding  any,  the  animals  were  the  only 
sufferers.  Sometimes  we  would  find  good  grass 
and  water  at  some  distance  from  each  other,  which 
either  meant  fetching  the  water  or  sending  the 

278 


Religious   Prejudices   overcome 

animals  away  with  a  sufficient  escort  to  graze. 
When  we  came  across  tracks  of  natives  it  was  my 
custom  to  halt  the  head  of  the  caravan,  so  as  to 
prevent  any  unnecessary  straggling,  and  then  to 
march  ahead  with  two  or  three  men,  so  that  when 
I  came  in  contact  with  the  tribe,  my  caravan  would 
be  a  mile  or  two  behind  and  well  out  of  sight ;  and 
on  every  occasion,  when  I  adopted  this  plan,  friend- 
ship was  the  invariable  result,  unless  the  people 
precipitately  ran  away  and  gave  me  no  chance 
whatever  of  speaking  to  them.  As  to  the  third 
uncertainty  of  finding  game  for  food,  we  protected 
ourselves  by  husbanding  a  special  reserve  of  flour, 
and,  during  the  latter  part  of  the  journey,  we  had 
several  camels  as  baggage  animals,  so  that  when- 
ever game  was  scarce  we  used  to  kill  one — a  good 
day's  supply  of  food  for  every  one  in  camp. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  journey  the 
Christian  portion  of  my  following  were  averse  to 
eating  meat  that  had  been  hallalled  by  the  Mussul- 
man, and  vice  versa,  though  afterwards  these 
scruples  fell  to  the  ground,  and  no  one  in  camp 
minded  whether  the  animal  had  been  hallalled  by 
a  Christian,  or  a  Mussulman,  or  by  nobody  at 
all.  In  addition  to  procuring  food  and  water  and 
cooking  it,  we  had  also  to  collect  our  food  for  the 
fires,  and  to  make  a  zareba  at  night-time,  both 
to  prevent  our  animals  from  straying  and  to  guard 
against  the  possible  attacks  of  wild  animals  or 
natives.  There  were  also  saddles  to  mend,  and 
ropes  to  make,  water-skins  to  prepare,  and,  besides 
this,  watch  had  to  be  kept  over  the  animals  by  day 

279 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

as  well  as  throughout  the  night.  More  than  once 
we  were  disappointed  in  our  expectation  of  finding 
water,  for  sometimes  we  would  see  a  storm  breaking 
over  the  land,  more  or  less  in  the  direction  of  our 
march,  and  perhaps  on  arrival  at  this  portion  of 
the  country  where  the  rain  had  fallen,  we  would 
find  the  elephants  had  already  been  before  us  and 
drunk  up  the  pools  of  water  that  we  and  our  animals 
were  looking  forward  to.  On  some  occasions  we 
used  to  march  over  magnificent  plains  of  rich  turf 
watered  by  running  streams,  and  it  seemed  strange 
to  find  there  were  no  tribes  living  in  such  inviting- 
looking  districts.  It  occurred  to  me  that  no  one 
ever  had  lived  in  some  of  these  charming  tracts, 
and  that  they  had  from  time  immemorial  been 
handed  over  to  the  wanderings  of  the  mighty 
elephants  and  herds  of  sleek  gazelle. 

Although  I  had  no  desire  to  kill  any  more 
elephants,  it  was  often  one  of  my  greatest  enjoy- 
ments to  approach  these  monsters  as  close  as  pos- 
sible without  being  scented,  and  then  to  sit  down 
in  the  grass  and  silently  watch  them.  Sometimes 
I  would  see  them  in  an  open  plain,  and  wait  for 
them  to  go  past  me.  They  always  used  to  take 
their  time,  and  I  have  seen  them,  though  traversing 
an  open  plain,  still  keep  in  single  file — this  being 
doubtless  due  to  their  habit  of  penetrating  jungles 
in  that  order.  They  would  advance  a  few  yards, 
and  then  stop  and  remain  perfectly  still  for  some 
minutes.  They  would  very  slowly  flap  their  huge 
ears  before  making  another  short  advance,  and 
whenever  they  smelt  me  (invariably  through  raising 

280 


A   Stormy   Season 

their  trunks),  they  would  turn  about  and  trot  off. 
Often  I  would  find  elephants  standing  in  the  sun- 
glare  at  noon,  when  every  other  animal  had  sought 
a  shady  shelter. 

On  some  occasions  we  were  overwhelmed  by 
terrific  storms  breaking  over  us.  They  would  burst 
with  exceptional  violence,  and  the  heavy  rain  would 
fall  in  a  most  remarkable  manner.  Instead  of 
coming  down  continuously,  it  would  descend  like 
thousands  of  bricks  on  our  heads,  then  almost  alto- 
gether stop  for  a  minute  or  two  before  a  second 
onslaught.  Heavy  rains  of  this  description  naturally 
affected  portions  of  the  alluvial  soil  we  marched  over. 
This  would  not  have  mattered  had  I  not  been  re- 
stricted by  time,  for  I  might  have  always  waited  till 
the  land  had  drained  itself  again,  and  then  travelled 
on  leisurely.  I  also  had  no  means  of  knowing  the 
conduct  of  the  seasons  in  these  regions.  As  far  as 
one  could  judge,  heavy  rains  were  at  that  time  daily 
falling  southwards,  in  the  direction  of  the  Uganda 
Protectorate,  and  gradually  working  their  way  up 
northwards.  I  was,  therefore,  very  much  afraid  we 
might  be  caught  by  a  rainy  season  and  forced  to 
wait  in  some  spot  for  the  country  to  dry  up.  From 
later  experience,  I  should  say  that  there  are  no 
long-lasting  rains  at  all  in  these  parts  ;  still,  at  the 
time,  this  fear,  added  to  my  own  limited  leave  of 
absence,  urged  me  to  spare  no  effort  in  travelling 
northwards  as  quickly  as  possible. 

On  more  than  one  occasion,  it  was  this  eager- 
ness to  travel  quickly  that  not  only  delayed  us,  but 
occasioned  mishaps.  Once,  after  some  twelve  hours 

281 


'Twixt   Sirdar  and   Menelik 

of  heavy  rain,  instead  of  waiting  a  day  for  the  land 
to  drain  itself,  I  continued  the  march ;  and  though 
at  first  all  went  well,  we  later  in  the  day  found 
ourselves  completely  bogged,  and  at  nightfall  my 
caravan  was  split  up  into  two  parts,  those  who  had 
crossed  the  treacherous  belt  and  reached  higher 
ground  beyond,  and  those  who  were  stranded  on  a 
piece  of  firm  ground,  only  halfway  across  the  heavy 
soil.  The  result  was  that  the  Abyssinians  were  half 
the  night  waist  deep  in  water  hauling  out  the  mules 
and  donkeys  from  the  mud  into  which  they  had  sunk 
in  the  most  hopeless  manner — though  the  camels 
had  crossed  the  swampy  track  in  comparative  ease. 
So  troublesome  was  the  task  of  extricating  the 
animals  from  the  swamp,  that  one  mule  and  two 
donkeys  were  drowned.  It  is  a  fact, — gathered  from 
experience,  yet  contrary  to  the  generally  accepted 
opinion — that  for  crossing  a  swamp  the  camels 
were  infinitely  superior  as  baggage  animals  to  the 
donkeys  and  mules.  It  must  also  be  remembered 
that  my  camels,  before  they  fell  into  our  hands,  had 
never  carried  a  load  before,  and  that  their  saddles 
consisted  merely  of  our  tents  and  rugs,  over  which 
we  tied  the  loads  by  means  of  leather  thongs,  manu- 
factured from  our  cattle  or  animals  we  shot,  whereas 
the  donkeys  and  mules  had  been  beasts  of  burden 
all  their  lives. 

Later  on  in  our  journey,  we  were  frequently 
compelled,  on  coming  to  a  swamp,  to  unload  the 
donkeys  and  mules,  and  make  the  camels  carry  their 
baggage  on  a  double  journey,  or  else  carry  the 
goods  ourselves  on  the  top  of  our  heads.  I  found 

282 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

my  camels,  which  were  females,  could  cross  a  swamp 
deep  as  a  man's  neck  with  their  loads.  Being  pro- 
vided with  a  broader  surface  to  tread  upon,  they 
would  carry  their  loads  across  without  meeting  with 
any  mishap,  whereas  the  little  legs  of  the  mules  and 
donkeys  would  sink  deep  into  the  mud,  and  very 
often  it  was  only  with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  we 
could  extricate  them  by  means  of  ropes. 

On  the  1 3th  of  May,  at  about  latitude  4°,  we  struck 
a  source  of  the  river  Sobat.  It  will  be  seen  that 
the  source  we  discovered,  which  is  called  Ruzi  by 
the  natives,  drains  a  great  portion  of  the  land  and 
carries  it  off  for  over  three  hundred  miles,  before 
eventually  depositing  itself  into  the  White  Nile,  by 
means  of  its  mighty  tributary,  the  Sobat.  This 
stream  Ruzi  we  more  or  less  followed,  till  it  even- 
tually flowed  into  the  larger  river.  By  "  more  or 
less,"  I  mean  that  on  one  day  we  could  see  the 
course  of  the  river,  and  on  others,  owing  to  the  flat- 
ness of  the  country  or  to  the  intervention  of  a  hill, 
we  would  lose  sight  of  it.  Then  on  other  days  we 
would  strike  the  banks  of  the  river  itself,  and  travel 
along  them.  About  a  hundred  miles  north  of  the 
source  of  this  Ruzi,  we  struck  another  stream,  at  a 
few  miles  west  of  its  own  source.  The  river  was 
also  named  Ruzi  by  the  natives,  and  it  would  thus 
appear  that  the  word  "Ruzi"  merely  signifies  a 
river. 

On  some  days  we  used  to  march  through  tracts 
of  country  abounding  in  partridges  and  guinea-fowl, 
and,  without  moving  to  either  flank  of  our  route,  we 
would  put  up  numbers  of  birds  almost  every  minute. 

284 


The   Prickly   Hig 

Then,  again,  on  other  days  we  crossed  districts  of  a 
sandy,  gravelly  soil,  cut  up  by  innumerable  water- 
courses, where  everywhere  grew  a  kind  of  aloe, 
called  Hig  by  Somalis.  These  generally  stood 
about  three  or  four  feet  high,  and  often  had  to  be  cut 
down  or  pulled  out  of  the  ground  by  their  roots 
before  we  could  proceed.  The  aloe  was  never  a 
welcome  plant,  on  account  of  the  painful  pricks  it 
inflicted  on  many  of  us.  It  is  not  always  easy,  when 
in  the  midst  of  so  many  of  these  plants  growing  in 
every  direction,  to  avoid  the  intensely  sharp  and 
strongly  pointed  leaves,  and  sometimes  the  pointed 
end  of  them  breaks  off  in  the  flesh  without  one 
knowing  it  at  the  time.  If  the  leg  has  been  thus 
punctured,  the  pain  becomes  so  acute  throughout 
the  limb  that  it  is  impossible  to  march  until  the 
point  has  been  extracted. 

On  the  i  ;th  of  May  I  was  ahead  of  my  caravan, 
and  had  placed  a  couple  of  men  on  either  flank  as 
well,  to  shoot  some  antelopes  if  possible, — for  we 
were  rather  hard  up  for  food — when  I  came  across 
the  fresh  footprints  of  a  Shangkalla.  I  warned  my 
flankers  to  keep  a  good  look-out,  telling  them,  if 
they  saw  anybody,  to  persuade  them  to  come  and 
see  me,  and  if  any  natives  approached  them  with 
hostile  intentions,  not  to  retaliate,  but  to  let  me 
know  of  it  as  quickly  as  possible.  At  the  time, 
we  were  marching  northwards  to  the  west  of  the 
first  river  Ruzi,  which  flowed  in  the  same  direction, 
and  we  had  only  gone  a  mile  or  two,  after  seeing  the 
footprints,  when  I  heard  one  of  my  own  men  calling 
to  me  from  behind,  and  stopped  to  hear  what  was 

285 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

the  matter.  He  told  me  that  two  Shangkallas  had 
come  up,  and  were  anxious  to  take  me  by  a  different 
route  and  a  better  road,  a  little  further  west.  I 
waited  for  the  two  savages,  to  hear  what  they  had 
to  say,  or,  more  correctly  speaking,  to  see  what  they 
had  to  explain,  for  almost  every  word  of  conversa- 
tion had  to  be  carried  on  by  means  of  signals.  It 
soon  became  evident  that  they  wished  to  make  me 
understand  that  the  route  we  were  following  was  a 
very  unsuitable  one,  and  that  they  could  show  me  a 
much  better  one.  They  also  explained  that  they 
cultivated  the  ground,  and  were  anxious  to  sell  me 
grain  in  exchange  for  beads.  So  I  followed  the  two 
Shangkallas,  both  cheery  and  intelligent  fellows, 
though  there  was  nothing  very  remarkable  about 
them,  either  with  regard  to  their  physique  or  their 
features,  nor  was  their  hair  very  striking  after  what 
we  had  seen.  Had  they  only  been  blessed  with 
white  skins,  they  would  have  passed  for  Europeans. 
They  took  me  by  a  broad  track,  along  which 
there  must  have  been  immense  traffic  for  this  part 
of  the  world.  So  I  well  knew  that,  before  very  long, 
I  should  find  myself  in  the  midst  of  a  powerful 
tribe.  After  walking  with  them  for  about  two  hours, 
I  explained  to  my  two  guides  that,  as  the  sun  was 
high  in  the  heavens,  and  man  and  beast  required 
water,  as  soon  as  they  could  show  us  any  I 
should  like  to  stop  and  camp.  They  were  quite 
agreeable  to  my  proposition,  and  a  few  minutes 
afterwards  we  came  to  fields  of  dhura  stalks,  re- 
mains of  the  last  crop,  and  shortly  afterwards  we 
found  cattle,  and  sheep,  and  many  Shangkallas,  who, 

286 


Another  New   People 

carrying    their   two   spears   as  usual,    kept   a   few 
hundred  yards  off,  and  hovered  on  both  flanks. 

A  little  further  east  of  us,  I  saw  several  villages, 
about  which  thick  bush  was  growing.  Thither  my 
guides  were  bent  on  taking  me,  but  I  had  no  wish  to 
camp  in  the  bush  amidst  savages  whose  intentions 
and  characters  were  quite  unknown  to  me.  For 
all  I  could  tell,  they  might,  in  accordance  with  a 
preconcerted  plan,  have  been  taking  me  into  an 
ambush.  I  therefore  declined  the  offers  of  such 
close  hospitality,  and  chose  a  small  clump  of  trees, 
standing  alone  in  the  plain  by  the  side  of  a  field 
of  dry  dhura  roots,  and,  fortunately,  one  of  the 
Shangkallas  came  forward  and  showed  me  a  pool 
of  rainwater,  only  two  or  three  hundred  yards  away 
from  the  spot  I  had  selected. 

As  soon  as  the  caravan  arrived,  we  set  about 
lopping  off  the  branches  of  the  trees  to  form  a 
zareba,  for  I  intended  stopping  there  the  remainder 
of  the  day  to  try  and  get  the  people  to  sell  me  food, 
as  I  wanted  to  replenish  our  exhausted  commis- 
sariat. The  news  of  our  presence  was  soon  noised 
abroad,  and  many  flocked  to  see  the  white  man,  so 
it  was  just  as  well  that  we  had  lost  no  time  in 
settling  down.  I  soon  learnt  that  the  name  of  this 
tribe  was  the  Abba  tribe.  I  do  not  think  that  they 
are  related  to  the  Arbore  Gallas.  Most  maps  show 
the  Arbore  Gallas  as  inhabiting  these  districts,  but 
this,  I  fancy,  is  incorrect.  The  Abba  are  Gallas 
neither  in  appearance,  habits,  customs,  nor  language. 
It  was  quite  evident  that  most  or  all  the  people 
had  never  set  eyes  on  a  white  man  before.  They 

287 


'Twixt   Sirdar  and  Menelik 

were,  nevertheless,  a  well-behaved  and  merry  folk, 
showing  a  friendly  curiosity  in  all  I  did.  Anybody 
who  wished  to  do  so  was  allowed  to  enter  the 
zareba,  provided  he  came  without  his  spears,  so  that, 
in  a  very  short  time,  we  were  pretty  well  crammed 
inside.  Several  came  and  sat  in  a  group  before  my 
tent.  The  men,  as  usual,  were  in  a  state  of  com- 
plete nakedness  ;  in  fact,  it  would  have  struck  me  as 
rather  strange  had  I  seen  any  of  them  wearing  a 
scrap  of  clothing. 

Being  anxious  to  secure  a  photograph  of  this 
unknown  tribe,  I  waved  my  hand  towards  the  group 
who  were  squatting  before  me,  whilst  I  looked  at 
them  through  my  binocular  camera.  But  the 
moment  the  apparatus  was  before  my  eyes,  they 
jumped  up  and  ran  away,  half  in  fear,  and  half  in 
fun,  no  doubt  wondering  in  their  minds  what  un- 
earthly deed  Koshumba  was  about  to  perpetrate. 
I  then  showed  them  the  different  kinds  of  beads  I 
possessed,  explaining  that,  if  they  would  bring  me 
their  dhura,  I  would  give  them  kurmona  (beads)  in 
return.  The  idea  of  getting  kurmona  still  more 
brightened  up  the  faces  of  many  a  youth  and  damsel. 
Off  they  all  ran  to  their  villages  to  fetch  the  grain, 
and  test  the  promise  of  Koshumba.  Whilst  they 
were  absent,  we  had  half  an  hour's  comparative 
quietude  to  prepare  our  market  for  the  much-coveted 
supplies,  as,  at  this  time,  we  were  very  badly  off  for 
flour,  having  nearly  reached  the  end  of  our  reserves, 
and  were  practically  dependent  on  our  guns.  Every 
one  in  camp  was  rejoicing,  therefore,  at  the  prospect 
before  us.  The  Abyssinians,  in  particular,  were 

288 


Our  Exchange  and    Mart 

glad  at  the  turn  affairs  had  taken,  for  most  of  them 
had  given  up  hope  of  ever  getting  anything  else  to 
eat  but  antelope,  guinea-fowl,  and  such-like,  and, 
should  we  happen  to  be  unfortunate  in  finding  any- 
thing to  shoot,  they  concluded  our  expectations  of 
life  would  lie  within  very  restricted  limits.  Such 
a  feeling  was  quite  natural,  and  just  what  one 
would  expect  to  find  in  untravelled  men,  as  my 
Abyssinians  were. 

Whilst  awaiting  the  return  of  the  Abba  people, 
I  arranged  a  temporary  stall  outside  my  tent,  by 
making  four  of  my  men  squat  down  on  the  ground 
in  a  row,  and  by  placing  in  front  of  each  a  pile  of 
beads,  each  lot  differing  in  appearance.  These  men 
were  my  stall-keepers,  whilst  on  either  side  of  them 
stood  another  man  with  an  empty  sack  to  receive 
the  grain  as  the  purchases  were  made.  No  sooner 
were  these  preparations  completed,  than  a  few 
women  were  seen  coming  from  the  villages.  With 
the  first  comers  our  bargains  were  completed  only 
after  a  certain  amount  of  haggling  and  laughter  on 
both  sides ;  but  when  they  found  they  actually 
received  the  beads  before  emptying  the  contents  of 
their  vessels  or  gombos  into  the  sacks,  they  departed 
in  the  highest  spirits  to  go  and  fetch  more  dhura, 
and  inform  their  friends  of  the  successful  deal  they 
were  making  with  Koshumba,  for  all  these  poor 
unsophisticated  savages  fancied  they  had  obtained 
their  beads  at  a  ridiculously  low  price,  and  had 
fairly  "  done  me  in  the  eye."  I  was  anxious  not  to 
spoil  them  by  over  payment  for  the  sake  of  future 
markets,  yet  it  would  seem  that,  although  my  sacks 

289  U 


An   Awkward    Customer 

were  quickly  filled  at   the   expense  of  a  very  few 
beads,  I  had  failed  in  my  intention. 

After  the  conclusion  of  the  first  bargain,  boys, 
women,  and  men  flocked  towards  our  zareba  from 
every  side,  and,  forming  a  long  string,  passed  in  at 
one  entrance  of  the  zareba  and  out  at  another, 
selling  on  their  way  their  loads  of  grain  at  my  stall. 
Our  trade  was  an  exceedingly  brisk  and  merry  one, 
but  when  we  had  filled  seven  or  eight  sacks,  about 
as  much  as  we  required,  a  savage  stepped  forward. 
He  was  probably  the  chief,  for  he  differed  from  the 
remainder  of  the  men,  in  that  he  wore  a  mass  of 
red,  blue,  and  white  beads  on  his  forehead  like  a 
plaster,  and  claimed  for  himself  a  long  string  of  my 
yellow  beads.  While  this  proceeding  was  no  doubt 
agreeable  to  him,  it  was  not  so  to  myself,  and  I 
declined  to  allow  him  to  take  away  the  beads 
without  bringing  me  a  quid  pro  quo,  for,  in  my 
humble  opinion,  it  is  the  black  man  who  should  first 
seek  to  secure  by  gifts  or  otherwise  the  friendship 
of  the  white,  and  it  is  quite  wrong  for  the  latter  to 
commence  dealings  with  a  tribe,  however  powerful, 
by  allowing  the  chiefs  to  take  away  whatever  they 
choose.  It  would  have  been  looked  upon  as  a  sign 
of  fear  on  my  part,  and  as  a  confession  of  their 
superiority.  Whether  rny  refusal  was  the  cause 
of  his  subsequent  behaviour,  I  cannot  say.  He 
afterwards  returned  to  our  camp,  and  sending  all 
the  women  and  children  right  away  to  the  villages, 
collected  all  his  fighting  men  just  outside  the  zareba. 
They  must  have  numbered  two  or  three  hundred 
strong  as  they  stood  assembled,  each  man  armed 

291 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

with  two  spears,  and  all  of  them  wonderfully  submis- 
sive and  obedient  to  their  leader's  call.  Leaving 
his  crowd  of  warriors  for  a  moment,  the  chief  again 
entered  my  zareba,  and  made  an  impassioned  speech, 
the  meaning  of  which  was  entirely  lost  upon  us. 
He  then  returned  to  his  warlike-looking  adherents, 
and  addressed  them  with  even  greater  vehemence, 
gesticulating  and  waving  his  spear  as  he  spoke. 
It  was  difficult  to  know  whether  he  meant  mischief 
or  merely  intended  to  give  a  display  of  their 
prowess  for  our  edification.  In  any  case,  it  was  as 
well  to  be  prepared  for  whatever  was  in  store  for  us. 
So  I  loaded  my  revolver,  and  the  men  kept  their 
rifles  handy  and  ready,  whilst  the  Abyssinians 
sharpened  their  swords,  and  the  guard  who  were 
watching  over  the  grazing  animals  drove  them  within 
the  immediate  precincts  of  our  camp.  The  real 
danger  of  the  situation  lay  from  the  very  close 
proximity  of  so  large  a  body  of  armed  savages,  for 
had  they  suddenly  taken  it  into  their  heads  to  rush 
our  camp,  we  should  have  all  stood  a  very  poor 
chance.  It  was,  therefore,  clearly  my  best  policy  to 
remove  them  by  hook  or  by  crook  to  a  greater 
distance  from  our  zareba,  and  I  adopted  the  following 
plan. 

Entering  my  tent  with  a  look  of  total  indifference 
as  to  all  that  was  going  on,  I  called  for  my  Somali 
boy,  Mohamed,  and  told  him  to  go  up  to  the  Abba 
chief,  and  explain  to  him  that  Koshumba  was  very 
tired  and  wished  to  rest,  and  would  be  very  much 
obliged  if  he  would  address  his  powerful  oration  to 
his  tribesmen  at  a  little  greater  distance  from 

292 


A  Quiet  Night 

Koshumba's  tent.  The  ruse  proved  to  be  com- 
pletely successful,  for  the  whole  force  filed  away  to 
a  wood  half  a  mile  off,  and  there  continued  the 
meeting.  The  sun  had  set  by  this  time,  and  although 
we  felt  tolerably  safe,  still  I  did  not  altogether  like 
the  look  of  things,  for  the  warriors,  instead  of  return- 
ing to  their  villages,  as  they  would  have  done  at 
nightfall,  under  ordinary  circumstances,  still  con- 
tinued to  hold  forth  in  the  wood.  Having  collected 
all  our  animals  inside  the  zareba,  I  made  preparations 
for  the  night.  In  order  not  to  be  caught  napping,  I 
further  strengthened  the  stockade,  and  placed  four 
men  on  sentry,  with  orders  to  call  out  at  the  top 
of  their  voice  the  number  of  their  post  in  Arabic 
every  quarter  of  an  hour  throughout  the  night. 

I  remember  falling  asleep  and  hearing  the  four 
words,  "  Wahid,  et  nain,  thalata,  a-rb-a-a,"  and  again 
on  waking,  before  dawn,  the  words  were  still  ringing 
in  my  ears.  No  one  came  near  us  during  the  night, 
and  at  daybreak  we  loaded  up  and  marched  north- 
wards. We  followed  a  track  that  took  us  past  some 
of  the  villages  of  the  Abba,  who,  when  they  heard 
us  coming,  swarmed  out  of  their  houses  to  see  us  go 
by.  We  had,  however,  taken  precaution  to  march 
in  a  compact  body,  and  had  probably  started  at  an 
earlier  hour  than  they  had  expected.  After  quitting 
the  neighbourhood  of  the  villages,  we  lost  our  tracks, 
and  found  ourselves  in  very  thick  bush  country, 
through  which  the  caravan  had  to  move  in  single 
file,  and  got,  in  consequence,  into  rather  a  straggling 
formation.  We  had  had  about  two  hours  of  this 
kind  of  country  when,  at  the  head  of  the  caravan, 

293 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

I  received  a  message  from  Shahzad  Mir,  who  was 
in  the  rear,  asking  me  to  stop,  as  the  Abba  were 
swarming  close  behind  and  on  our  flanks,  and  that 
their  intentions  were  hostile.  At  the  moment  I 
received  the  news  we  happened  to  have  reached  a 
small  open  plain,  in  the  centre  of  which  rose  a  little 
hill.  So,  halting  the  head  of  the  caravan,  I  ran  up  to 
the  top  to  have  a  look  round,  and  could  see  numbers 
of  black  forms  moving  through  the  bushes  on  our 
right  flank  and  in  our  rear. 

The  opening  we  were  in  was  about  500  yards 
square.  On  all  sides  grew  thick  bush.  To  have 
proceeded  further  with  all  these  savages  round  us, 
and  with  absolutely  no  notion  of  what  lay  in  front 
of  us,  would  have  been  a  very  risky  undertaking ; 
yet  to  have  halted  where  we  were  would  have  been 
equally  hazardous,  for  the  tribes,  for  all  I  knew, 
might  have  collected  in  thousands  and  surrounded 
us,  when,  without  water,  our  position  would  have 
been  precarious.  I  adopted  a  middle  course. 
Having  collected  the  entire  caravan,  and  placed  a 
guard  round  it,  to  prevent  the  animals  straying,  a 
couple  of  men  to  look  out  from  the  hill,  and  the 
remainder  in  readiness  to  act  in  any  way  I  might 
order,  I  took  four  or  five  men  with  me,  and  retraced 
our  steps  towards  the  edge  of  the  wood,  to  deal  with 
the  crowd  of  savages  who  had  been  following  close 
behind.  I  found  that  they  were  all  standing  behind 
trees  ;  so,  approaching  fairly  close  to  them,  I  fired  two 
shots  over  their  heads,  to  warn  them  what  they  were 
to  expect  if  they  tried  any  games  with  us.  I  don't 
fancy  that  the  Abba  had  ever  seen  rifles  before,  or 

294 


We   shake   off  the   Enemy 

otherwise  they  would  not  have  allowed  me  to  get 
so  near  them.  This  little  counter  attack  had  the 
desired  effect,  for  the  savages  left  their  trees,  and 
walked  away  towards  their  villages.  I  remained 
where  I  was  until  the  men  on  the  hill  signalled  that 
the  natives  on  our  flanks  were  also  moving  off,  then 
I,  too,  followed  suit,  and  we  made  all  haste  to  get 
through  the  belt  of  thick  bush  ;  while  protecting  our 
flanks  with  three  or  four  men,  so  as  to  have  a  timely 
warning  of  any  further  hostile  movement. 

We  had  travelled  another  hour  or  so,  when  we 
came  upon  a  great  number  of  cattle  grazing  in  the 
jungle,  without  anybody  to  look  after  them.  It 
struck  me,  that  very  possibly  these  cattle  belonged 
to  the  Abba  tribes  we  had  just  left,  and  that  they 
were  following  us  to  see  whether  we  were  in  the 
habit  of  cattle  lifting.  I  was,  therefore,  most  par- 
ticular that  the  beasts  should  be  left  entirely  alone, 
hoping  that  when  the  people  came  to  count  them, 
they  would  learn  that,  though  we  had  passed  through 
their  midst,  we  had  not  interfered  with  them  in  any 
way,  and  that  our  intentions  towards  themselves  had 
been,  after  all,  of  a  most  friendly  character. 

Later  on,  we  halted  for  breakfast  by  the  sandy 
bed  of  a  river,  where  I  expected  to  find  water  by 
digging,  but  though  there  was  none  to  be  had  close 
at  hand,  we  found  a  pool  nearly  a  mile  down  stream. 
This  proved  to  be  one  of  the  watering-places  of  other 
Abba  villages  that  lay  on  the  right  hand  of  our  route, 
for  whilst  we  were  fetching  our  water,  dozens  of 
Abba  men  also  came  for  it.  They  were  all  perfectly 
friendly,  and  some  of  them  came  to  my  bivouac, 

295 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

and  asked  me  to  camp  close  to  their  villages,  that 
they  might  sell  me  grain  for  beads.  As  we  had  at 
this  time  plenty  of  food,  there  was  no  need  to  buy 
more,  especially  as  I  was  anxious  to  lose  no  time. 
Towards  sunset  we  came  to  more  villages  of  the 
Abba  tribe,  whose  sheep  and  goats  were  fat  and 
numerous.  Although  we  camped  for  the  night  by 
some  of  their  villages,  nobody  came  to  see  us,  and 
this  was  the  last  we  saw  of  these  people. 

The  Abba,  though  nothing  like  so  gigantic  a 
race  as  the  Turkana,  are,  nevertheless,  a  fine  tribe. 
The  men,  of  course,  go  about  completely  naked,  and 
the  women  only  wear  a  small  piece  of  skin.  The 
men  fashion  their  hair  into  such  a  shape  that  they 
look  as  though  they  had  a  saucer  of  black  felt  placed 
over  their  heads,  and  the  women  wear  their  hair  in 
ringlets,  and  hang  beads  around  their  necks.  The 
men  carry  two  spears,  a  long  one  and  a  short  one, 
peculiar  for  the  length  of  the  blade,  and  oblong 
shields  made  of  hide  and  thick  straw.  They  smear 
themselves  all  over  with  mud,  and  sometimes  adorn 
their  bodies  with  red  stripes.  For  ornament,  they 
wear  round  pieces  of  brass  in  the  ears,  and  also  a 
leather  protection  on  the  wrists — a  kind  of  sword- 
scabbard.  Their  houses  are  built  principally  of 
straw,  and  raised  on  a  platform  about  five  feet  above 
the  ground.  I  expect  at  times  they  suffer  from 
severe  rains. 


296 


CHAPTER    XXVI 

A    RACE    FOR   WATER 

An  awkward  predicament — A  trying,  waterless  march — A  welcome 
shower—  I  despatch  men  in  search  of  water — A  terrible  dis- 
appointment— A  silent  midnight  march — Mohamed's  heroic  act 
— A  friend  in  need — The  Tamata — A  critical  moment. 

As  soon  as  we  had  left  these  people,  we  discovered, 
as  we  travelled  northwards  again  the  next  morning, 
that  the  land  became  more  dried  up  the  further  we 
went,  and  the  river  Ruzi  itself,  which  we  had  so  far 
kept  in  sight,  made  a  bend,  and  flowed  away  east- 
wards. At  the  time,  I  did  not  think  very  much  of 
this,  and  imagined  that  it  was  merely  taking  a  little 
turn,  and  that  we  should  meet  it  again,  if  we  con- 
tinued straight,  after  ten  or  twelve  miles.  As  it 
turned  out,  my  calculations  were  somewhat  faulty, 
for  the  river  took  a  far  greater  bend  than  I  had  ever 
dreamed  of,  and,  by  doing  so,  brought  us  into  a 
rather  serious  dilemma,  as  will  be  seen  later  on. 
We  had  been  marching  almost  due  north,  over  the 
lower  spurs  of  the  hills  to  the  west  of  us,  for  a 
couple  of  hours  or  so,  when  we  discovered  that  these 
hills  ran  away  westwards. 

Ahead  of  us  there  extended  an  immense  plain, 
and   far  away   in   the   distance  stood   a  single   hill 

297 


'Twixt   Sirdar  and   Menelik 

which  I  had  been  steering  for.  At  this  juncture 
I  found  myself  in  a  rather  uncomfortable  predica- 
ment. We  had  been  marching  for  about  six  hours, 
and  as  I  have  said,  the  country  was  getting  drier 
and  drier,  and  we  could  see  no  signs  ahead  of  the 
Ruzi,  or  of  any  other  water  at  all,  so  it  would  have 
been  a  very  hazardous  undertaking  to  have  marched 
in  a  straight  line  for  the  solitary  hill.  We  had  not 
a  drop  of  water  with  us,  for  latterly  we  had  had  but 
little  trouble  in  finding  it  twice  a  day,  either  on  the 
hills,  in  the  river,  or  in  one  of  its  tributaries;  but  now 
we  found  ourselves  cut  off  from  all  our  customary 
supplies.  To  have  turned  back  would  have  been 
altogether  against  the  grain,  and  the  question  was 
whether  to  deviate  from  a  northern  course,  and  strike 
a  westerly  one  by  the  hills,  or  an  easterly  one,  to  find 
the  Ruzi  again.  I  first  considered  the  question 
which  route  would  be  of  most  geographical  value, 
and  in  my  own  mind  decided  that,  if  we  took  the 
western  route,  we  should  in  all  probability  reach 
the  river  Nile,  which  I  imagined  by  this  time  would 
have  become  a  fairly  well-known  route  between 
Khartum  and  Uganda.  I  was,  therefore,  prejudiced 
against  taking  it,  and  I  considered  it  of  far  more 
importance  to  find  our  friend  the  Ruzi  again,  and 
then  continue  to  stick  to  it.  So  confident  did  I  feel 
that  this  river  would  bend  west  again  that,  instead 
of  marching  due  east  at  first,  I  struck  a  north-east 
course.  It  was  no  use  whatever  stopping  for  break- 
fast when  we  had  not  a  drop  of  water,  although  we 
had  done  a  good  march  and  were  all  ready  for  it. 
So  I  explained  to  my  followers  that,  as  there  was 

298 


The   Endurance  of  Camels 

no  water  at  hand,  and  the  prospect  of  getting  any 
ahead  was  not  encouraging,  we  must  take  a  some- 
what easterly  course,  and  march  on  till  we  reached 
the  Ruzi  again. 

I  walked  on  ahead,  and  the  caravan  followed, 
and  as  the  hours  went  by,  each  becoming  hotter  and 
hotter,  the  more  thirsty  we  and  our  beasts  became. 
Some  of  the  latter  began  to  show  signs  of  weariness, 
and  the  line  of  baggage- animals  grew  longer  and 
longer.  The  camels,  of  course,  with  their  wonder- 
ful powers  of  enduring  fatigue  without  any  water, 
shot  ahead  of  other  animals  less  fortunately  placed. 
And  I  can  speak  from  experience  of  this  marvellous 
endurance  of  camels,  for  on  a  previous  trip  in 
Somaliland  I  once  marched  with  a  string  of  camels 
for  eleven  days,  during  which  time  none  of  them 
had  a  drop. 

I  had  seen  far  away  a  belt  of  trees,  and  was 
buoyed  up  with  hopes  that  they  fringed  the  banks 
of  the  river  Ruzi ;  but  we  found  they  merely  marked 
a  tract  of  dense,  dry  jungle,  and  our  spirits  were 
more  depressed  than  ever.  By  the  time  we  had  cut 
our  way  through  it,  the  sun  was  setting ;  and  yet, 
on  reaching  the  further  side,  we  could  see  no  signs 
of  the  river  we  so  eagerly  sought.  As  the  after- 
noon advanced,  we  still  continued  our  march,  with- 
out stopping  even  for  a  minute.  We  noticed  that 
storms  were  bursting  over  certain  districts,  and  fer- 
vently hoped  that  one  would  break  over  us.  We 
would  have  given  worlds  to  have  undergone  a 
thorough  soaking  ;  and  it  was  most  tantalizing  to 
see  the  rain  falling,  yet  to  have  none  of  it.  Some 

299 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

of  the  men  wandered  away  to  our  flank,  to  try  and 
get  into  a  storm,  but  returned  without  success,  and, 
after  their  extra  exertions,  were  in  a  worse  condi- 
tion than  before.  At  length,  a  few  drops  fell  over 
us,  and  we  spread  out  our  mackintosh  sheets,  in 
hopes  of  having  a  good  downpour,  whilst  I  held  up 
an  umbrella,  and  caught  the  drippings  from  one  part, 
whilst  some  of  the  men  caught  them  from  another 
angle.  I  can  very  highly  recommend  umbrella- 
water — it  struck  me  as  quite  the  nicest  I  had  ever 
tasted.  The  mackintosh  sheets  were  of  little  value, 
for  by  the  time  they  were  wet  through  the  rain 
ceased.  So  we  quickly  marched  on  again,  over  a 
plain  of  alluvial  soil,  and  lived  in  hopes  of  encounter- 
ing a  storm  later  on  in  the  evening.  After  an  hour 
or  two,  to  our  great  joy,  we  came  to  a  part  of  the 
plain  over  which  one  of  the  local  storms  had  burst. 
It  must  have  been  a  storm  of  some  severity,  for 
everywhere  lay  little  pools  of  water,  an  inch  or  half 
an  inch  deep,  and  six  or  eight  inches  in  diameter. 
The  moment  we  caught  sight  of  this  godsend,  we 
ran  forward,  knelt  down,  and  lapped  up  pool  after 
pool.  I  fancy  I  accounted  for  about  a  dozen,  and 
my  two  little  dogs  also  proved  how  thirsty  they 
were.  Of  course,  the  great  drawback  of  it  all  was 
that  the  little  puddles  were  soaking  into  the  ground, 
and  very  quickly  diminishing  in  size,  so  I  stood 
over  some  of  the  larger  ones  to  preserve  them  for 
the  men  who  were  a  long  way  behind  with  the  tired 
animals.  I  also  collected  a  couple  of  cans  full  for 
those  whom  I  knew  were  still  further  in  the  rear, 
possibly  a  couple  of  hours  distant. 

300 


A   Determined   Drink 

For  the  time  being,  we  all  felt  thoroughly 
refreshed,  and  could  not  help  laughing  at  the 
comical  sight  we  presented,  for  in  the  eagerness  of 
our, thirst  we  had  lowered  our  heads  with  such  im- 
petuosity that,  on  finishing  our  drink,  we  all  of  us 
had  our  noses  and  chins  besmeared  with  mud. 
Had  we  met  any  natives  at  that  moment,  they 
would  probably  have  concluded  that  this  was  our 
own  particular  fashion  of  adornment.  As  the  sun 
had  now  set,  I  made  for  some  bushes  in  the  dis- 
tance, and  decided  to  camp  there  for  the  night. 
Two  or  three  hours  east  of  us  lay  some  hills,  so, 
without  more  ado,  I  selected  two  men,  and,  after 
feeding  them,  and  giving  them  as  much  more  water 
as  they  could  drink  from  the  two  cans,  I  sent  them 
off  to  try  and  discover  water  there,  telling  them  to 
let  me  know  at  once,  for  I  felt  almpst  certain  that 
there  would  be  water  somewhere  in  the  hills ;  yet 
I  had  no  wish  to  struggle  on  to  them  with  the 
entire  caravan,  and  then  find  ourselves  without  it. 

Of  course,  if  the  men  reported  there  was  none, 
then  at  daybreak  we  would  strike  another  course. 
Alter  they  had  gone,  I  set  about  making  a  big  bon- 
fire, that  the  men  who  were  behind,  on  emerging 
from  the  jungle  belt,  would  at  once  learn  our  where- 
abouts. It  was  past  ten  o'clock  before  the  last  of 
the  caravan  had  come  in,  and  though  by  this  time 
we  all  felt  thirsty  again,  we  still  slept  peacefully 
until  daylight,  for  we  had  been  marching  thirteen 
hours  without  a  break.  As  to  our  animals,  the 
camels  were  all  right,  but  the  poor  mules  and 
donkeys  were  showing  signs  of  the  hardships  they 

301 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

were  undergoing,  and  of  the  thirst  from  which  they 
were  suffering. 

We  had  all  expected  an  early  return  of  our  two 
men  who  had  gone  in  search  of  water,  yet  at  day- 
break they  were  not  forthcoming.  We  had  all  been 
hoping,  too,  that  a  wet  morning  would  herald  in  the 


MADAME   VLASSOF'S   COSSACK   ORDERLY. 

day,  but,  to  our  disappointment,  the  sky  was  one  of 
the  clearest  imaginable.  The  storms  and  signs  of 
rain  had  completely  vanished.  It  was  puzzling  to 
know  quite  how  to  act,  yet  it  was  clear  that  if  we 
remained  where  we  were  without  any  rain  coming, 
the  situation  would  become  more  trying  every  hour. 
Yet  we  expected  the  two  men  to  return  any 

302 


A   Dispiriting   March 

minute,  and  conduct  us  to  water,  for,  from  our 
experience,  we  all  concluded  that  they  would  find  it 
in  the  hill.  It  was  also  impossible  to  march  away 
and  desert  the  two  men.  Thus  it  was  that,  con- 
tinuing to  put  faith  in  the  search  of  the  two  men, 
and  reckoning  on  their  returning  with  good  news, 
I  decided  to  remain  where  I  was. 

Still,  as  the  afternoon  approached,  and  there 
were  no  signs  of  them,  I  decided  that,  as  the  hottest 
part  of  the  day  was  over,  we  would  load  up  and 
strike  in  the  most  promising  direction  for  discover- 
ing water,  no  matter  whether  it  were  north,  south, 
east,  or  west,  for  I  concluded  that  the  two  men  had 
been  unsuccessful,  and  were  waiting,  as  we  were, 
till  the  heat  of  the  day  was  over  before  returning 
to  camp,  and  that  when  they  did  come  back  they 
would  have  no  difficulty  in  following  our  tracks, 
which  were  easily  recognized  over  the  plains  of 
alluvial  soil.  We  could  do  no  good  by  sending 
other  men  to  the  hills  to  look  for  the  two  absentees, 
as  we  had  no  water  to  send  with  them.  Some  of 
the  men  suggested  that  they  had  been  killed  by 
Shangkallas,  though  I  myself  had  no  fear  for  their 
safety  on  that  score.  About  three  o'clock  we  began 
to  load  up,  and  I  explained  to  my  followers  that 
we  should  now  have  to  march  on  through  the  night 
until  we  found  water,  and  that  they  must  prepare 
themselves  for  a  long,  thirsty  tramp.  The  question 
to  decide  was  which  direction  to  take.  Throughout 
the  day  several  herds  of  antelope  had  walked  across 
the  plain  towards  the  south  and  east,  so  I  concluded 
they  had  gone  off  to  drink  at  some  stream  or  pools 

303 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

of  rain  that  they  were  acquainted  with.  South  of 
us  we  could  just  make  out  a  belt  of  trees,  and  I 
thought  that  very  likely  we  should  find  there  the 
bed  of  a  river,  and  possibly  our  old  river  Ruzi, 
which  had  played  us  a  very  nasty  trick  in  making 
a  bend  far  beyond  our  expectations.  So  I  decided 
to  march  for  the  belt  of  trees,  and  then,  if  we  were 
unsuccessful,  to  strike  east  for  the  range  of  hills. 
This  range  was  a  long  way  beyond  the  hill  to  which 
I  had  sent  my  two  men. 

In  order  to  save  the  caravan  as  much  as  possible 
from  the  fatigue  of  what  might  be  a  fruitless  march, 
my  Somali  boy  Mohamed  and  I  walked  on  ahead 
as  fast  as  we  could  go,  telling  the  rest  of  them  to 
turn  eastward  if  they  saw  us  doing  so.  Over  a 
large  stretch  of  country,  such  as  we  were  about  to 
traverse,  there  always  hangs  a  mirage  during  the 
heat  of  the  day  ;  but,  even  now,  late  in  the  afternoon, 
the  mirage  had  not  disappeared,  so  it  was  at  first 
most  puzzling  to  know  whether  bushes  were  trees, 
or  how  far  off  they  really  were.  As  we  proceeded, 
I  now  and  then  had  a  look  through  my  glasses, 
and  rejoiced  to  see  there  was  a  good  deal  of  green 
bush,  a  fair  indication  of  the  presence  of  water,  and 
as  we  drew  closer  we  saw  great  herds  of  antelope 
on  the  outskirts  of  the  belt.  Still  we  could  see  no 
signs  of  the  bed  of  a  river.  Why  had  they  all  come 
there  ?  As  we  penetrated  into  the  bush,  we  saw 
great  numbers  of  giraffe,  which  allowed  us  to 
approach  within  thirty  yards  of  them,  but  we  had 
no  necessity  to  kill  any  just  at  this  time.  I  also 
heard  the  cuckoo  in  this  forest.  We  passed  more 

304 


A  Night  March 

giraffes,  and  onward  we  went,  expecting  to  find 
water  in  some  shape  every  moment.  Then  we 
saw  the  tracks  of  the  antelopes,  showing  where  they 
had  been  drinking,  for,  on  following  them  up,  we 
found  ourselves  by  some  pools.  But,  sad  to  relate, 
there  was  not  a  drop  of  water  in  any  of  them ;  the 
bottoms  were  muddy,  and  all  the  water  had  been 
drunk.  The  wild  animals  of  the  jungle  had  fore- 
stalled us.  We  hastened  back,  to  publish  our  piece 
of  disappointing  news,  and  to  turn  the  head  of  the 
column  eastwards  towards  the  hills.  I  felt  that 
matters  had  now  become  rather  serious,  so  I 
explained  to  the  caravan  that  as  the  sun  was  now 
sinking,  and  the  evening  was  cool,  they  must  make 
up  their  minds  to  march  throughout  the  night,  and 
reach  the  distant  hills  before  sunrise.  I  added 
they  might  be  sure  there  was  water  in  the  hills, 
and  I  pointed  out  the  exact  position  for  which  I 
would  steer,  so  that  any  men  who  grew  weary,  and 
unable  to  keep  up  with  the  caravan,  would  still  know 
where  their  goal  lay.  I  then  went  ahead  with  four 
men,  followed  by  the  camels. 

There  was  a  very  fair  moon,  so  that,  when 
crossing  a  plain,  we  were  able  to  distinguish  the 
outline  of  the  hills,  but  when  we  entered  a  belt  of 
jungle,  we  had  to  steer  as  best  we  could  by  the 
light  of  the  moon.  Every  now  and  then  I  would 
halt  and  fire  a  shot  so  as  to  encourage  those 
behind,  and  let  them  know  my  whereabouts,  in 
case  any  man  lost  himself  in  the  dark.  On,  on 
we  went  through  the  silent  hours  of  the  night. 
The  men  scarcely  spoke  a  word,  for  we  were 

305  x 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

thoroughly  parched,  yet  determined  to  reach  the 
hills. 

On  one  occasion,  when  I  waited  for  the  head 
of  the  caravan  to  catch  me  up,  my  Somali  boy, 
without  saying  a  word  to  me,  took  a  mug  he  had 
quietly  brought  on  purpose,  and  squeezed  what 
little  milk  he  could  from  the  camels,  and  then  gave 
it  to  me  with  a  look  of  expectation  in  his  eye  at  the 
pleasure  I  should  show  in  getting  it. 

"  Mohamed,"  I  said,  drinking  half  the  contents 
of  the  little  mug,  "you  shall  have  the  other  half." 

"  I  would  rather  die,"  he  said,  "  than  take  a  drop 
from  you." 

So  I  passed  it  on  to  others  of  less  self-denial. 

We  then  continued  our  night-march,  firing  two 
shots  before  starting.  Although  the  camels  had 
come  up,  it  was  impossible  to  know  how  far  behind 
were  the  mules  and  donkeys.  The  hills  looked 
considerably  nearer  by  this  time,  but  they  were  still 
several  miles  off. 

Later  on  in  the  night,  we  reached  better  ground  ; 
there  appeared  to  be  abundance  of  grass,  and  there 
were  innumerable  tracks  of  wild  animals,  and  the 
bush  was  green  in  many  places.  All  these  signs 
indicated  the  presence  of  water  at  no  great  distance, 
and  every  moment  I  hoped  we  should  find  ourselves 
on  the  banks  of  the  Ruzi,  which  I  fancied  very 
probably  ran  at  the  foot  of  the  hills  we  were  steering 
for.  But  between  one  and  two  o'clock  the  moon 
sank  very  low  in  the  heavens,  and  without  the  help 
of  its  light  I  felt  afraid  lest  some  of  those  behind 
should  lose  themselves,  as  they  would  no  longer  be 

306 


Abyssinian   Astronomy 

able  to  keep  the  hills  in  view.  None  of  the  men 
were  able  to  guide  themselves  by  the  means  of  the 
stars.  The  Abyssinians  have  no  names  for  any  of 
the  stars  ;  they  merely  indicate  by  numbers  those 
groups  that  everybody  knows.  Orion's  Belt,  for 
instance,  they  call  the  three  stars,  and  Cassiopeia 
the  five  stars. 

I  therefore  selected  a  spot  under  some  trees  that 
would  give  us  shade  the  next  day,  where  we  might 
rest,  for  I  felt  that  water  could  not  now  be  very 
far  away.  I  also  despatched  a  couple  of  men — the 
least  fatigued — to  walk  on  in  the  dark  to  the  hills, 
for  they  were  fairly  close  by  this  time,  telling  them 
to  fire  off  their  rifles  as  soon  as  they  had  found 
water. 

I  then  waited  for  the  arrival  of  my  caravan- 
firing  off  my  rifle  every  few  minutes.  The  camels 
arrived  in  safety,  but  not  a  mule  or  a  donkey,  or 
any  of  the  men  who  were  with  them.  I  could  do 
nothing  but  continue  firing  my  rifle  through  the 
silent  hours.  Yet  there  was  no  signal  from  the  two 
men  who  had  gone  to  the  hills  in  search  of  water. 
It  struck  me  that,  quite  possibly,  they  had  lain  down 
and  slept  instead,  or,  what  was  much  worse,  that 
perhaps  they  could  find  no  water ;  so,  with  the  first 
streak  of  dawn,  I  woke  up  Mohamed  and  Yussuf, 
telling  them  that  it  was  imperative  that  we  must  get 
to  the  hills,  and  find  water  before  the  sun  became  hot. 

We  took  a  water-tin  and  our  rifles  with  us,  and 
walked  as  hard  as  we  could  in  the  cool  morning, 
resolved  to  find  water  at  any  price,  and  not  to  return 
without  it.  When  we  left  there  was  only  one  other 

307 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

man  in  camp  who  knew  anything  about  our  departure. 
As  many  as  had  arrived  were  all  thoroughly  tired 
out,  and  soundly  sleeping. 

After  an  hour  and  a  quarter,  we  reached  the  foot 
of  the  hills,  and  were  deliberating  whether  to  make 
for  some  green-looking  bush  we  saw,  where  there 
might  be  water,  or  for  a  certain  ridge,  from  which 
we  should  be  able  to  see  the  valleys  lying  between, 
and  possibly  beyond  the  hills,  when  in  our  moment  of 
uncertainty  we  heard  the  two  men  I  had  sent  forward 
in  the  night  shouting  to  me.  At  the  time,  they 
were  climbing  a  hill,  and  happened  to  have  just 
caught  sight  of  us.  We  soon  learnt  from  them  that 
they  had  found  some  rain-water  in  a  rock,  but  only 
about  enough  for  six  men,  and  without  more  ado 
we  made  our  way  to  the  spot,  and,  needless  to  say, 
drank  our  share,  and  filled  our  water-can  besides. 
But  what  was  the  use  of  this — we  must  find  more 
before  firing  a  signal  of  success. 

We  were  looking  about  us,  and  making  our  way 
to  some  higher  ground,  when  we  saw,  on  the  side  of 
an  opposite  hill,  sheep  and  goats,  and  then  felt 
certain  there  must  be  people  as  well,  and  therefore 
water.  Still,  there  was  nothing  to  be  gained  by 
firing  until  we  really  knew  where  the  water  lay  ; 
besides,  we  had  no  idea  whatever  of  the  attitude  or 
the  strength  of  the  savages,  who  were  doubtless 
living  at  no  great  distance  off.  As  we  drew  closer 
to  the  sheep,  we  saw  several  Shangkallas  with  them, 
and  others  coming  up  the  hillside.  They  had  now 
caught  sight  of  me,  and  it  was  impossible  to  know 
what  their  intentions  might  be. 

308 


We  gain  Two   Friends 

At  this  moment,  Yussuf  and  Mohamed  were 
with  me,  whilst  the  other  two  men  were  out  of  sight 
of  the  Shangkallas,  so  I  signalled  to  them  to  remain 
where  they  were,  and  then  walked  forward  with  my 
two  men.  Some  of  the  savages  ran  away,  but 
others  stood,  not  quite  certain  in  their  minds  what 
course  to  adopt.  So  I  put  my  rifle  on  the  ground, 
telling  my  two  companions  to  do  the  same,  and  then 
I  called  out  "  Koshumba,  Koshumba,"  and  beckoned 
to  them  to  come  to  me.  After  a  little  hesitation,  a 
couple  of  the  Shangkallas  came  forward,  and  no 
sooner  had  they  reached  me  than  our  mutual  fears 
and  doubts  vanished,  and  we  became  friends.  It 
will  be  seen  later  on  how  very  true  our  friendship 
grew,  and  how  these  two  savages,  one  of  whom  was 
called  Kaisuki,  who  were  about  to  save  us  now, 
extricated  us  from  other  difficulties  afterwards. 

I  gathered  from  them  that  we  should  be  able  to 
get  sufficient  water  for  the  men  close  at  hand,  but 
that  the  donkeys  and  mules  would  have  to  go  a 
little  distance  for  it.  We  then  sat  down  on  some 
big  round  rocks  under  the  shade  of  some  trees,  and 
in  a  crevice  the  savages  showed  us  more  water,  but 
only  enough  for  two  men.  In  this  part  of  the  world 
I  learnt  that  one  has  to  look  for  water  in  very 
remarkable  places.  It  is  very  often  no  use  searching 
in  small  or  big  valleys,  for  I  have  found  it  running 
across  an  open  plain,  and  in  solid  rocks,  not  only  on 
the  sides  of  the  hills,  but  on  the  very  summits  them- 
selves, where  one  would  never  expect  to  get  it.  Of 
course,  that  found  in  the  rocks  is  merely  rain-water. 
After  a  heavy  storm,  the  water  runs  off  the  surface 

309 


'Twixt   Sirdar  and   Menelik 

of  these  huge  slabs  of  rock  into  holes  and  crevices, 
and  there  it  remains  for  an  extraordinary  length  of 
time,  for,  owing  to  the  usually  small  opening,  scarcely 
any  evaporation  can  take  place  from  wind  and  sun, 
nor  can  the  water  sink  into  the  surface  of  the  solid 
rock.  Although  these  holes  have  but  a  small 
opening,  they  are  themselves  very  often  large— 
sometimes  holding  thirty  or  forty  gallons  of  water. 

As  soon  as  my  other  two  men,  who  had  been 
watching  from  a  distance  the  turn  affairs  would  take, 
arrived,  we  all  five  of  us  stood  up  and  fired  three 
volleys  in  the  direction  of  the  camp,  where  I  had 
left  the  men  and  camels,  and  where  I  hoped  the 
remainder  of  the  caravan  would,  by  this  time,  have 
arrived.  We  felt  sure  they  would  hear  us,  and 
rightly  guess  that  water  was  at  hand.  As  we  fired 
each  volley,  the  noise  echoed  through  the  hills,  and 
the  savages,  many  of  whom  had  joined  us  by  this 
time,  were  evidently  in  some  fear  of  what  was  going 
to  happen  next.  However,  I  soon  reassured  them 
of  our  friendship,  and  made  them  understand  that  I 
was  merely  informing  my  other  men,  who  were 
behind,  of  the  presence  of  water,  and  that  they 
would  arrive  very  shortly. 

We  then  reclined  on  the  rocks,  and  talked  about 
the  country  with  our  new  acquaintances.  They 
were  called  the  Tamata,  and  I  don't  fancy  they  had 
ever  seen  a  white  man  before,  though  they  had  heard 
of  them. 

I  knew  we  should  have  to  wait  more  than  an 
hour  before  the  men  would  arrive,  so,  after  conduct- 
ing a  conversation  on  a  very  empty  stomach,  I  lay 

310 


One  Search  Party  returns 

down  on  the  rocks  and  took  a  nap.  Almost 
immediately  one  of  my  men  woke  me,  saying  that 
some  of  those  from  camp  were  coming  up  the  hill. 
We  all  stood  up  to  see  who  the  arrivals  were,  when 
bang,  bang,  and  whiz,  whiz,  went  bullets  just  over 
our  heads,  and  below  I  caught  sight  of  two  of  my 
Soudanese  firing  at  us.  I  stepped  to  one  flank  of 
the  group,  and  waved  and  shouted,  hardly  knowing 
what  would  be  the  next  item  in  the  programme. 
Luckily  they  saw  me,  and  then  came  along  as  fast 
as  they  were  able.  They  told  me  how  they  had  set 
out  towards  the  hills  to  look  for  water,  and  how  they 
had  suddenly  heard  our  volleys,  and  then,  shortly 
afterwards,  caught  sight  of  a  group  of  savages,  and 
as  they  had  not  seen  us,  fancied  we  had  all  been 
killed.  They  were  so  thirsty  that  they  hardly  knew 
what  they  were  doing,  but  they  soon  got  a  good 
drink  from  the  hole  the  savages  had  shown  us  in 
the  rock,  and  then  lay  down  to  sleep. 

Presently  we  saw  about  a  dozen  men,  headed 
by  Shahzad  Mir,  struggling  up  the  hillside.  The 
gallant  Duffadar,  and  all  the  men  in  camp,  on  hearing 
the  volleys,  concluded  that  I  was  engaged  in  some 
severe  fighting,  and  those  who  felt  equal  to  it  had 
at  once  set  out,  whilst  the  others  intended  following 
to  my  assistance  as  quickly  as  they  were  able.  It 
was  gratifying  to  me  to  be  able  to  reward  them  all 
in  a  way  they  at  that  moment  appreciated  more  than 
words  can  tell.  For  as  each  man  reached  me — an 
Abyssinian  was  the  first — I  presented  him  with  a 
mugful  of  water  from  the  tin  I  had  filled.  There 
was  still  a  little  left,  which  I  kept  in  reserve  for  the 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

next  arrivals.  Most  of  the  men  had  brought  with 
them  gombos  for  carrying  water,  so  I  sent  them  all 
off  under  the  charge  of  a  couple  of  the  savages,  who 
would  take  them  to  a  place  where  there  was  an 
abundance.  And  I  told  them,  as  soon  as  they  had 
drunk  their  fill,  to  return  at  once  with  a  drink  for 
those  who  would  come  in  later. 

As  we  waited,  the  men  by  degrees  dropped  in 
with  the  animals  and  goods ;  but  by  this  time  the 
water  was  finished,  the  sun  was  high  in  the  heavens, 
and  the  men  lay  on  their  backs,  with  drawn  faces 
and  staring  eyes.  Something  had  to  be  done,  so, 
as  soon  as  my  medicine  box  and  lime-juice  arrived, 
I  dropped  into  the  mouth  of  each  of  them  a  citric 
acid  tabloid,  and  afterwards  administered  an  ounce 
of  lime-juice.  When  the  crisis  was  over,  they  used 
to  say  if  I  had  not  given  them  that  wonderful  medi- 
cine on  that  day,  they  would  all  have  died. 

On  further  conversation  with  the  savages,  I 
understood  that  we  should  find  some  more  water  in 
rocks  on  the  very  top  of  the  hill  we  were  on.  So 
Mahomed,  myself,  and  another  man,  took  a  water- 
can  each,  and  two  of  the  savages  came  with  us. 
We  searched  the  different  rocks  we  found  up  there, 
and  discovered  two  holding  sufficient  water  to  fill 
our  cans.  The  man  who  had  come  up  the  hill  with 
us  was  allowed  to  drink  as  much  as  he  chose,  and 
at  his  first  draught  he  accounted  for  twelve  large 
tumblers,  regardless  of  the  myriads  of  little  tadpoles 
and  filth  that  were  floating  about  in  it — for  there 
was  quite  an  aquarium — and  also  of  the  horrible 
smell.  I,  too,  had  a  good  drink,  but  drew  the  line 

312 


Tea  before  Water 

at  twelve  tumblers  of  the  stuff.  It  would  have  been 
very  unwise  of  me  to  have  sent  the  water  down, 
after  filling  one  can,  without  going  with  it,  for  the 
men  would  have  certainly  fought  for  it,  and  probably 
spilt  it  all. 

On  my  return  to  them,  with  several  gallons  of 
water,  they  sat  around  with  their  staring  eyes  fixed 
on  me  and  the  can — they  knew  what  it  was  to  be 
thirsty.  I  was  astonished,  and  admired  the  way 
many  of  the  men  restrained  themselves.  I  don't 
think  any  other  people  could  have  exercised  greater 
control  over  their  feelings  than  my  followers  did  on 
this  occasion.  As  fast  as  I  could,  I  poured  out  a 
mugful,  and  gave  it  to  each  in  turn,  and  then  half  a 
mugful,  and  the  can  was  finished.  There  were  still 
some  half-dozen  men  behind  with  the  rest  of  the 
baggage,  at  the  spot  where  I  had  halted  with  the 
camels  before  setting  forth  in  search  of  water.  So 
the  second  canful  I  sent  back  to  them,  by  the  man 
who  really  had  had  a  good  drink.  The  third  can 
was  soon  afterwards  brought  down  from  the  hill — 
the  last  of  that  supply.  But  before  allowing  any- 
body to  drink  any,  I  made  it  into  tea ;  and  though 
at  the  time  all  were  very  angry  at  my  doing  so, 
they  admitted  afterwards  the  benefit  they  had 
derived  from  it. 

It  was  quite  late  in  the  afternoon  when  the  men 
who  had  in  the  first  place  gone  for  water  returned. 
When  they  had  reached  the  spot,  they  had  forgotten 
all  about  their  fellow  workers,  and  had  stopped  to 
sleep  and  wash.  They  had  certainly  brought  a 
good  deal  of  water  with  them  ;  and,  seeing  they  had 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

had  a  good  rest,  I  sent  them  off  to  collect  the 
animals  and  take  them  to  water.  It  was  gratifying 
to  know  that  all  the  men  had  come  in,  with  the 
exception  of  those  few  keeping  guard  over  some  of 
the  baggage  in  the  woods.  Knowing  we  should 
require  more  water,  I  called  for  volunteers,  offering 
a  cup  of  tea  to  every  one  who  would  take  a  vessel 
and  bring  back  water.  As  they  were  all  extremely 
thirsty,  there  were  plenty  of  volunteers,  who  merely 
thought  of  the  moment's  gratification  they  would  get 
from  another  drink,  however  small,  and  were  totally 
oblivious  to  the  fatigue  entailed  by  fetching  more. 
The  worst  of  it  all  was,  that  those  who  went  for 
water — the  distance  to  it  was  nearly  two  miles- 
were  so  thirsty  when  they  got  back  again  that  they 
wanted  to  drink  themselves  all  they  had  brought. 


CHAPTER   XXVII 

DROUGHT,    BUT    RUNNING   WATER    AT    LAST 

A  serious  loss — A  midnight  adventure — Return  of  my  water-mes- 
sengers— Death  of  my  head  Abyssinian — We  resume  our  north- 
ward march — A  river  at  last ! — The  Boma  people — I  change 
guides. 

THE  men  had  been  so  thoroughly  knocked  up  that 
they  were  totally  unequal  to  the  task  of  keeping 
watch  over  the  baggage  animals,  so  that  when  we 
prepared  to  take  them  to  water,  we  found  that  the 
tribes  in  the  neighbouring  hills  and  valleys  had 
stealthily  come  up  and  appropriated  forty-five  of  our 
beasts,  leaving  us  with  only  ten  mules  and  five 
donkeys.  Among  the  latter  were  the  only  two  sur- 
vivors of  the  original  seventeen  with  which  we  had 
set  out  from  Adis  Ababa.  These  two  donkeys 
were  much  smaller  than  the  ones  we  had  got  by 
Lake  Gallop,  and  were  of  a  totally  different  breed. 
Curiously  enough,  they  never  associated  with  the 
other  donkeys  ;  they  always  grazed  separately,  and 
at  night-time  slept  close  together. 

At  the  time  when  we  first  learnt  of  the  theft  of 
the  animals,  we  did  not  pay  very  much  attention  to 
it ;  the  main  question  was  how  to  satisfy  our 
craving  thirst.  We  could  not  move  down  to  the 

315 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

water  until  all  the  men  and  baggage  had  reached 
the  spot  most  of  us  were  already  in.  When  I  had 
first  set  out  in  the  early  morning,  I  had  left  my  two 
dogs  behind,  for  they  were  suffering  like  the  rest  of 
us ;  and  they  had  eventually  come  along  part  of  the 
way  with  some  of  the  men,  but  finding  the  sun 
intensely  hot,  had  both  rested  under  the  shade  of  a 
bush.  It  was  very  sad  to  think  of  my  two  dogs 
dying  of  thirst,  yet  I  dare  not  leave  the  men,  situ- 
ated as  they  were,  to  their  own  devices,  and  was 
sending  back  a  party  with  water  to  look  for  them — 
a  couple  of  volunteers — when,  to  my  delight,  mother 
and  son  trotted  up  to  me  of  their  own  accord. 
Eventually  they  were  none  the  worse  for  the  suffer- 
ings they  had  gone  through. 

The  last  lot  of  men  who  had  gone  for  water  had 
been  absent  for  several  hours,  and  as  it  was  already 
ten  o'clock  at  night,  I  began  to  think  that  either 
some  mishap  had  befallen  them,  or,  more  probably, 
that  they  had  remained  sleeping  by  the  water,  a 
proceeding  I  was  very  much  against — for  to  be 
separated  in  our  present  condition  more  than  could 
be  helped  was  most  inadvisable,  seeing  that  we 
had  already  had  our  animals  taken ;  and  although 
we  had  two  friendly  savages  with  us,  there  was  no 
knowing  what  other  enormity  the  rest  of  them  might 
be  up  to,  for  there  were  several  hundreds  of  them 
about  the  hills.  In  this  dilemma  I  decided  to  set 
out  myself,  and  took  with  me  a  Somali  boy  called 
Ali,  a  very  sharp  lad.  We  had  first  of  all  to  descend 
a  part  of  the  hill,  and  then  we  silently  made  our  way 
through  a  thorn  forest.  There  was  a  good  moon 

316 


Ali  and  I  investigate 

and  not  a  breath  of  wind  :  so  still  was  everything, 
that  our  treading  over  the  soft  sand  or  grass  could 
be  distinctly  heard.  Every  now  and  then  we  held 
our  breath  and  stopped  to  listen,  not  knowing 
whether  anybody  was  watching  and  following  us, 
as  they  did  in  the  daytime.  We  then  made  our 
way  over  the  spurs  of  the  hill,  gradually  working 
towards  the  valley  where  the  water  lay,  and  which 
was  on  the  opposite  side  to  our  own  bivouac.  Pre- 
sently we  saw  the  lights  of  a  Shangkalla  village, 
close  to  which  we  should  have  to  pass.  Though, 
strange  to  say,  there  were  people  about  at  this  late 
hour,  nobody  saw  us.  We  then  crossed  a  valley 
and  came  to  the  water-pools.  We  did  not  care  to 
shout  very  loudly,  but  as  we  could  see  no  signs  of 
our  people,  we  decided  there  was  nothing  to  be 
done  but  return  again.  So  we  took  a  track  round 
the  other  side  of  the  hill,  which,  though  rougher, 
was  shorter  ;  but  after  going  for  half  a  mile,  we  saw 
a  large  camp  of  Shangkallas  in  front  of  us. 

It  would  have  been  altogether  too  risky  to  have 
gone  up  to  them  in  the  dead  of  the  night,  especially 
as  I  knew  they  had  only  arrived  there  that  same 
evening.  Moreover,  I  had  not  the  slightest  idea 
who  they  were  or  what  they  were  up  to.  We  there- 
fore climbed  the  side  of  the  hill  and  skirted  round 
above  the  camp,  some  three  hundred  yards  distant. 
We  made  such  a  noise  as  we  stumbled  over  the 
rocks  that  we  thought  we  must  be  heard  for  a 
certainty.  After  a  little  we  hit  off  another  track 
leading  uphill,  and  as  we  were  ascending  over  big 
stones  amidst  the  bushes,  suddenly  we  heard  whr-r-r, 

317 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

whr-r-r.  Ali  ducked  instinctively  and  I  turned  my 
head,  expecting  to  see  some  black  forms  close  upon 
us.  Imagine  our  relief  and  amusement  to  find,  after 
all,  that  instead  of  a  couple  of  spears  it  was  a  brace 
of  guinea-fowl  which  had  so  suddenly  startled  us. 

After  a  long,  steep  climb  over  very  rocky  hills 
and  valleys,  with  bruised  shins  and  cut  hands  (for 
at  every  step  we  stumbled),  we  finally  reached  our 
camp  about  i  a.m.,  when  I  was  glad  to  learn  that 
the  water  men  had  returned  about  five  minutes  in 
front  of  us.  Unfortunately,  their  cans  had  already 
been  emptied,  seeing  that  I  was  not  there  to  control 
matters.  I  therefore  woke  up  some  of  the  men 
and  sent  them  off  to  bring  in  more  water  by  daylight. 
I  required  this  done  at  once  for  two  reasons,  first, 
in  order  that  I  might  send  water  to  the  men  with 
the  baggage,  and,  second,  that  I  might  at  once  set 
out  myself  in  search  of  the  two  men  who  wrere  first 
despatched  to  the  hill  for  water,  but  who  had 
never  returned  to  camp.  I  had  fancied  that  they 
would  have  returned  to  our  camp  in  the  plain,  where 
we  had  found  the  water-puddles,  and  thence  would 
easily  be  able  to  follow  on  our  tracks  ;  but  as  they 
had  not  done  so,  I  believed  that  my  best  plan 
would  be  to  go  back  on  our  own  tracks.  As  the 
mules  and  donkeys  were  too  done  up  for  what  I 
expected  might  be  a  long  journey,  I  arranged  to 
take  a  camel  with  two  cans  of  water,  and  three 
men.  Everything  was  ready  to  start  at  daybreak, 
excepting  the  water,  for  the  mules  had  not  turned 
up — either  the  men  would  not  hurry,  or  they  could 
not.  Anyhow,  as  it  turned  out,  fortune  was  on 

318 


Our  First  Search  Party  returns 

my  side,  for  the  two  men  who  were  causing  me 
so  much  anxiety  presently  walked  into  camp  of 
their  own  accord.  Our  first  feelings  on  seeing  them 
were  naturally  those  of  delight;  but  when  they  had 
been  refreshed  with  copious  draughts  of  tea,  and 
were  able  to  tell  their  story,  we  were  all  ready  to 
upbraid  them  for  their  selfishness,  laziness,  and 
want  of  thought.  It  appeared  that  in  less  than 
three  hours  after  I  had  sent  them  off,  they  had 
reached  the  hills  and  found  water.  Instead  of 
returning  with  the  good  news,  they  had  remained 
drinking  and  sleeping  throughout  the  night,  and 
the  most  of  the  next  day  as  well.  Had  they  only 
returned  to  camp  that  same  night  or  even  during 
the  next  morning,  all  the  trouble  we  were  let  in  for, 
the  half  only  of  which  I  have  related,  would  have 
been  saved.  We  should  have  had  a  short  march, 
there  would  have  been  no  suffering,  and  no  loss  of 
baggage  animals.  One  of  the  culprits  was  a 
Soudanese,  and  the  other  a  Galla,  both  in  other 
respects  excellent  fellows,  who,  at  all  other  times, 
served  me  well. 

So  many  of  the  black  races,  though  the  best  men 
in  the  world  under  one's  own  supervision,  utterly 
fall  to  pieces  when  dependent  upon  themselves. 
This  was  especially  noticeable  in  the  Soudanese, 
and  on  this  particular  occasion  the  Galla  was  com- 
pletely under  the  will  of  the  Soudanese.  However, 
it  was  no  use  repining  over  unfortunate  events  that 
might  easily  have  been  avoided,  our  only  course 
now  being  to  make  the  best  of  a  bad  business.  It 
was  imperative  that  we  should  all  get  to  the  water, 

319 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

with  our  baggage  and  animals,  and  there  recoup. 
I  therefore  sent  off  twenty  men  with  some  loaded 
camels  as  a  preliminary  step,  and,  as  soon  as  the 
water  arrived,  I  sent  it  off  with  the  remaining 
camels  to  bring  in  the  remnant  of  our  caravan. 

After  waiting  for  about  four  hours,  the  first  lot 
of  camels  returned,  so  I  reloaded  them  and  myself, 
made  my  way  with  them  to  the  water,  leaving  a 
few  men  behind  with  food  and  water  to  wait  for 
the  rear  of  the  party  to  come  in  from  the  woods. 
The  pools  of  rain-water  were  situated  on  the  farther 
side  of  a  valley  which  at  the  right  season  of  the 
year  is  planted  with  dhura ;  it  was  like  old  times 
again  to  find  on  arrival  that  the  men  had  made  a 
good  zareba,  and  were  carrying  out  their  customary 
duties  ;  and,  although  there  was  plenty  of  water  at 
hand,  they  all  complained  that  they  would  never  be 
able  to  quench  their  thirst  for  days  to  come.  At 
one  o'clock  in  the  night,  the  remainder  of  my  people 
and  baggage  turned  up.  Everybody  was  all  right, 
excepting  an  Abyssinian,  by  name  Bayiwall,  my 
head  Abyssinian,  and  a  man  well  on  in  years.  It 
seemed  that  after  quenching  his  thirst  for  the  time 
being,  he  had  eaten  a  quantity  of  uncooked  dhura 
— not  quite  the  most  suitable  food  after  fasting  so 
long.  On  finishing  his  meal,  he  had  exclaimed, 
"I've  done  now,  I'm  going  to  die!"  On  his 
reaching  camp,  I  placed  him  in  a  tent  next  my  own, 
and  did  my  best  to  cure  him  of  his  indigestion,  but 
no  medicines  would  avail  a  man  who  had  made  up 
his  mind  to  die.  Throughout  the  day,  as  he  lay  on 
his  back,  he  cried  aloud,  "  Mot' alia,  mot'alla ;  class, 

320 


A   Determined   Decease 

c-lass,  c-l-ass,  c-l-a-ss  !  "  ("  I'm  dying,  I'm  dying !  ") 
Sometimes  I  would  go  to  him,  and  tell  him  what 
utter  nonsense  he  was  talking,  and  endeavour,  by 
chaff,  to  divert  his  mind  to  another  channel,  but 
all  to  no  purpose  ;  he  was  bent  on  dying,  die  he 
would — and  I  don't  think  that  any  man  could  have 
saved  him.  He  was  buried  that  evening. 

In  the  morning  I  sent  out  Shahzad  Mir  and 
Mohamed,  with  a  dozen  men  and  one  of  the  friendly 
savages,  to  try  and  discover  the  people  who  had 
taken  our  donkeys  and  mules,  and  where  they 
had  taken  them.  Our  two  friendlies  belonged  to 
a  tribe  called  the  Tamata,  and  said  that  their 
own  tribe  had  stolen  my  animals,  and  taken  them 
right  away  for  a  distance  of  three  days.  Shahzad 
Mir  and  Mohamed  soon  found  their  tracks,  and 
followed  them  for  some  miles,  but,  as  they  had  no 
water  with  them,  returned  to  camp  to  ask  me  what 
they  had  better  do.  Our  two  Tamata  friends  had 
brought  us  in  two  or  three  of  their  own  donkeys, 
but  no  others  could  be  found  anywhere,  though 
there  were  several  villages.  Hardly  knowing  what 
to  do,  I  told  them  I  should  follow  up  their  tribes- 
men, no  matter  how  far  they  had  gone.  They  told 
me  not  to  try  and  do  so,  for  they  would  only  go  off 
again  when  they  saw  me  coming ;  but  they  added 
they  would  show  me  where  they  had  left  their 
sheep  behind,  and  that  I  might  take  as  many 
as  I  chose,  and  they  would  point  out  to  me  a 
way  northwards  where  I  should  get  water,  and 
would  then  take  me  to  another  tribe  from  whom 
I  would  be  able  to  get  more  donkeys.  Shahzad 

321  Y 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

Mir  and  Mohamed  had  already  seen  the  sheep 
these  natives  referred  to,  but  had  left  them  alone, 
as  I  had  given  them  orders  not  to  touch  any,  and 
they  both  well  knew  by  now  my  feelings  in  this 
respect.  I  now  sent  them  off  again,  this  time  to 
bring  in  a  hundred  sheep  as  some  compensation 
for  the  loss  of  our  baggage  animals.  I  well  knew 
that  some  fresh  mutton  would  do  the  men  a  deal 
of  good,  and  cheer  them  up,  after  the  trying  time 
of  the  last  few  days. 

While  the  sheep  were  being  driven  into  camp, 
most  of  the  other  men  were  engaged  in  carrying 
out  the  duties  of  burying  poor  old  Bayiwall  ;  and 
as  quickly  as  they  could  do  so  with  decency,  they 
ended  their  lamentations,  and  soon  forgot  their 
grief  amidst  fresh  saddles  and  legs  of  mutton. 

The  Tamata  savages  amongst  whom  we  had 
fallen  struck  me  as  being  very  nice  intelligent 
people,  despite  the  theft  of  my  animals.  I  saw 
several  of  their  villages,  and  the  inhabitants  always 
appeared  very  friendly.  They  seemed  to  think  it 
quite  right  of  me  to  take  their  sheep  after  they  had 
run  off  with  my  mules  and  donkeys.  I  might  have 
taken  several  hundred  sheep,  but,  after  all,  we  were 
partly  to  blame  for  our  loss.  One  cannot  expect 
to  be  able  to  leave  baggage  animals  safely  grazing 
by  themselves  in  the  middle  of  Africa.  Donkeys 
are  the  same  to  the  Tamata  as  five-pound  notes  to 
us,  and  if  I  found  five-pound  notes  being  blown 
about  by  the  wind,  I  should  not  hesitate  to  secure 
them.  We  could  hardly  reasonably  expect  these 
savages  to  bring  up  the  donkeys,  and  ask  whether 

322 


Fertile  Country  again 

they  were  mine.  They  were  only  too  glad  of  en- 
riching themselves  by  what  is  considered  perfectly 
fair  play  in  these  parts  of  the  world. 

We    marched    early  the    next    morning — for    I 
wanted    the    men    to    forget    about   the   death    of 
Bayiwall— one     of    the     Shangkallas,     "  Kaisuki," 
showing  the   way.     All  our  animals  were  heavily 
laden.     There  were  ten  mules,  seven  donkeys,  and 
fifteen  camels.     Of  course  we  could  not  dream  of 
carrying  water,  and  it  was  necessary  to  make  short 
marches  to  begin  with.     We  travelled  northwards, 
and  our  good  Tamata  savage  showed  us  water  in 
places  where  we  should  never  have  been  able  to  dis- 
cover it  ourselves.     He  was  an  exceptionally  intelli- 
gent man.     For  some  days  we  skirted  the  foot  of 
a  range  of  hills  and  crossed   valleys  where  lived 
giraffes,  elephants,  and   rhinos — on  one  occasion  I 
even  saw  as  many  as    twenty-five  of  these  brutes 
all  together  like  a  flock  of  sheep.     We  afterwards 
crossed  a  very  beautiful  plain  of  good  grass,  where 
roamed  immense  herds  of  hartebeests.     We  passed 
a  tribe  called  the  Geyu,  who  cultivate  dhura,  and 
keep    both   cattle    and   sh^ep,    as    well   as   a    few 
donkeys.      At   the    further  end  of  the    plain,    we 
entered  the  outskirts  of  a  forest,  principally  of  mi- 
mosa, though  there  were  other  trees  as  well  of  fairly 
good  timber,  and,  after  penetrating  into  these  for 
an  hour  or  so,  we  reached  the  banks  of  a  stream, 
which   Kaisuki  called   the  Ruzi.      He  pointed  out 
to    me  the    hills    lying  east  of  us,  from   which    it 
took    its    rise,    explaining   how    it    travelled    west 
and   then   north   through    an   open   plain,   at  times 

323 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

disappearing  altogether,  and  finally  flowed  into  a  big 
water,  where  men  used  boats.  He  probably  meant 
the  Sobat,  but,  of  course,  he  had  never  been  so 
far  himself,  but  had  collected  his  information  from 
neighbouring  tribes.  As  a  rule,  I  am  inclined  to 
think  that  the  men  of  these  various  tribes  do  not 
travel  far  beyond  their  own  tribal  limits.  At  the 
same  time,  articles  such  as  grain,  iron,  beads,  and 
possibly  salt,  are  passed  on  in  exchange  from  one 
tribe  to  another,  and  so  penetrate  far  into  the 
country.  Information  about  distant  peoples  and 
countries  travels  in  the  same  way,  and,  therefore, 
cannot  be  absolutely  relied  upon.  Yet,  when  a  man 
talks  of  boats,  and  has  never  seen  one  himself,  his 
information  is  probably  true,  for  the  explanation  of 
something  absolutely  novel  would  be  more  likely 
to  be  remembered,  and  thus  passed  on  without  any 
alteration. 

We  camped  close  to  the  stream  itself,  and  found 
there  were  only  a  few  places  where  we  could  get  to 
the  water,  owing  to  the  steep  banks.  The  water 
was  flowing  over  a  sandy  bottom  only  a  few  inches 
deep,  and  was  very  fairly  clear.  The  men  could 
hardly  realize  that  we  had  actually  reached  running 
water,  and  were  very  soon  deriving  full  benefit  from 
it  by  having  a  thorough  good  splash. 

At  the  same  time,  we  were  able  to  shoot  some 
water-buck,  and  thus  save  our  sheep  for  another 
day.  Not  very  far  from  our  camp  there  lived  a 
tribe  called  the  Boma.  These  were  the  people  from 
whom  Kaisuki  said  we  should  be  able  to  buy 
donkeys,  so  I  sent  him  off  with  Mohamed  to  explain 

324 


The  Value  of  Kerosene-tins 

to  them  that  I  was  here,  and  ready  to  buy  them 
either  with  beads,  cloth,  or  anything  else  they  might 
fancy.  On  their  reaching  the  villages,  they  found 
all  the  people  had  gone  off  excepting  a  boy  who  was 
looking  after  the  sheep,  so  having  won  the  boy's 
friendship  by  a  present  of  beads,  he  showed  them 
where  his  tribe  had  gone  to.  Kaisuki  explained 
the  position  we  were  in,  and  how  the  Tamata  had 
run  off  with  our  baggage  animals.  The  Boma 
behaved  splendidly.  They  brought  cows  and  sheep 
and  over  a  hundred  donkeys,  but  I  told  them  I 
required  neither  their  sheep  nor  cows,  but  only 
between  twenty  and  thirty  donkeys.  We  selected 
the  male  ones,  which  were  better  suited  for  our 
purpose,  and  were  of  less  value  to  them,  and  five 
of  the  Boma  men  drove  them  into  our  zareba. 
These  natives  were  evidently  very  pleased  with  all 
they  saw,  and  feasted  well  off  the  waterbuck  we  had 
killed.  I  placed  before  them  the  things  I  was  ready 
to  part  with,  and  their  choice  fell  upon  beads,  razors, 
and  empty  kerosene-tins.  With  these  latter  they 
were  especially  delighted,  for  from  them  they  would 
be  able  to  manufacture  various  sorts  of  ornaments. 
I  find  that  empty  kerosene-tins  are  the  most  service- 
able water-cans  going ;  they  are  far  better  than  the 
cans  that  are  made  for  carrying  on  mules,  or  the 
barrels  that  are  made  for  camels,  chiefly  from  the 
fact  that  they  are  extremely  light.  Two  of  them 
placed  in  a  box  form  half  a  load  either  for  mule  or 
camel,  and  if  the  water  is  precious,  and  has  to 
be  guarded,  it  is  very  simple  to  fix  a  lock  to  the 
box.  These  Boma  wear  in  their  ears  a  piece  of 

325 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

round,  thin  brass,  and  from  the  underlip  a  piece  of 
bone.  They  are,  perhaps,  not  quite  such  finely 
made  men  as  the  Abba  tribe,  nor  of  such  a  cheery 
disposition.  They  carry  sleeping-pillows  and  two 
spears,  a  long  one  and  a  short  one.  The  Boma 
wear  their  hair  very  much  after  the  Abba  fashion, 
resembling  a  saucer  with  the  bottom  uppermost. 

Kaisuki,  having  kept  his  word  in  obtaining  fresh 
donkeys  for  us,  had  no  wish  to  go  any  further,  and, 
as  it  was,  he  had  come  several  days'  journey  from 
his  own  home.  So  he  left  us  in  the  best  of  spirits, 
and  with  many  protestations  of  friendship,  a  far 
richer  man  than  he  had  been  a  week  ago.  His 
place  was  taken  by  a  guide  of  the  Boma's,  who 
willingly  agreed  to  take  us  as  far  as  the  next  tribe. 
His  information  about  the  Ruzi  corresponded  with 
that  given  by  Kaisuki.  This  was  quite  a  dif- 
ferent river  from  the  first  Ruzi  we  had  come  across. 
The  first  Ruzi,  which  we  had  expected  to  meet, 
when  we  struck  east  on  our  waterless  march,  had 
flowed  a  great  deal  further  east  than  we  had  ever 
dreamed  of.  From  the  top  of  the  hills  by  the  valley 
of  the  Tamata,  we  had  been  able  to  see  the  course, 
until  it  bent  north  again,  when  we  lost  sight  of  it. 
It  must  have  been  still  flowing  north,  on  the  further 
side  of  the  range  of  hills  from  which  the  present 
Ruzi  took  its  rise,  for,  a  few  days  afterwards,  we 
again  saw  the  river  from  the  hills,  and  afterwards 
camped  on  its  banks. 

As  I  have  mentioned  before,  Ruzi  must  simply 
mean  "  River,"  and  there  is  no  need  for  a  tribe  to  call 
the  only  river  it  is  acquainted  with  by  anything  else 


Guided  by  the   Ruzi 

than  Ruzi,  or  River.  We  followed  the  banks  of  this 
second  Ruzi  for  some  miles  across  an  open  plain 
in  a  westerly  direction.  One  would  never  have 
expected  for  a  moment  to  find  a  stream  running 
across  a  plain  such  as  we  were  in,  with  no  trees  or 
bushes  along  the  banks  to  mark  its  course.  One 
could  not  tell  there  was  a  stream  anywhere  at  all, 
until  within  a  very  few  yards  of  its  banks,  when  there 
was  a  drop  of  almost  twenty  feet,  through  alluvial 
soil,  to  the  running  water  below. 

Whilst  resting  on  the  banks  for  breakfast,  where 
we  had  fine  views  over  the  plains  dotted  with  herds 
of  antelope,  I  explained  to  my  Boma  friend  that  I 
was  desirous  of  travelling  north,  and  not  west. 
"  Oh,"  he  said,  "  fill  your  water-cans,  and  we  will 
go  north,  and  strike  the  stream  again  further 
down ;  or,  if  you  prefer  it,  we  can  follow  the 
stream  all  the  way,  which,  after  a  little,  will  flow 
north." 

We  found  it  easy  going  over  excellent  grass 
till  nightfall,  when  we  camped,  surrounded  by 
plenty  of  antelope.  The  next  morning  we  rose 
at  three  a.m.,  for  I  had  no  precise  idea  when  we 
should  get  water  again  ;  but,  after  marching  seven 
or  eight  miles,  we  came  to  a  beautiful  pool  of 
rainwater,  a  favourite  haunt  of  many  antelope  and 
giraffe. 

In  the  afternoon,  we  marched  north  once  more, 
and  struck  the  Ruzi  before  nightfall.  The  stream 
had  considerably  increased  in  size  during  its  detour, 
for  here  it  was  nearly  twenty  yards  broad,  though 
fordable.  The  water  was  not  so  clear.  There 

327 


'Twixt   Sirdar  and   Menelik 

grew  some  good  bush  along  the  banks,  and  every- 
where for  many  miles  round  was  magnificent  grass 
with  large  herds  of  giraffe  wandering  over  it.  It 
seemed  strange  to  me  that  nobody  had  selected  such 
a  spot  as  this  to  live  in. 


328 


CHAPTER   XXVIII 

ABYSSINIAN    RAIDS — THEIR    RESULTS    AND    CURE 

An    old    Abyssinian    camp — Abyssinian    raids — Their    causes    and 
effects — A  remedy. 

AGAIN  we  travelled  north  for  sixteen  miles  over 
beautiful  prairie  land,  sometimes  crossing  a  tiny 
rivulet.  There  were  plenty  more  giraffes,  and  great 
numbers  of  wild  donkeys,  striped  like  zebras,  one  of 
which  I  shot.  At  length  we  came  to  the  place 
where  the  Abyssinians,  coming  over  from  the  east, 
had  quite  recently  camped.  The  camp  had  been 
well  chosen  on  the  banks  of  a  stream,  along  which 
there  was  abundance  of  firewood,  with  a  few  shady 
trees.  There  still  remained  innumerable  tukls, 
showing  that  there  must  have  been  a  large  force  of 
them.  Quite  possibly  it  had  been  a  camping-ground 
of  the  Abyssinian  general,  Dejasmach  Tasama,  who, 
I  knew,  had  quite  lately  made  an  expedition  in  the 
direction  of  the  White  Nile.  As  we  came  to  the 
ground,  we  saw  a  few  tribesmen,  but  they  ran  away 
immediately,  and  gave  us  no  chance  of  explaining 
to  them  who  we  were,  in  spite  of  my  Boma  friend 
calling  out  that  we  were  not  "  Nuga,"  which  is  the 
name  by  which  many  of  the  tribes  call  the  Abys- 
sinians. The  following  day  we  reached  some  hills, 

329 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

at  the  foot  of  which  flowed  a  small  stream,  and  every- 
where grew  grass,  thick  undergrowth,  and  fine  trees. 
Not  far  from  our  camp,  we  found  some  members  of 
a  tribe — boys  and  women.  They  were  terribly  thin, 
every  bone  was  visible,  and  no  wonder,  seeing  that 
they  were  living  on  roots  and  grass.  As  far  as  I 
could  learn  from  them,  the  men  had  been  killed, 
and  all  their  property  taken  by  the  Nuga.  This 
was  very  likely  true,  as  we  found  tracks  of  mules 
and  animals,  such  as  none  of  the  tribes  possess. 

In  previous  pages  I  have  made  repeated 
references  to  the  raids  carried  on  by  the  Abyssinians, 
and  have,  like  every  one  else,  condemned  these  raids 
as  being  altogether  unworthy  of  that  nation.  Yet 
to  straightway  throw  blame  on  the  Abyssinians, 
without  entering  into  the  causes  of  these  raids,  and 
the  practicability  of  finding  reasonable  ways  of 
bringing  them  to  an  end,  would  be  unfair.  It  must 
be  remembered  that  the  Abyssinians,  as  well  as  all 
the  tribes  living  on  their  border-land,  have  from 
time  immemorial  been  accustomed  to,  and  have 
delighted  in,  internal  strife,  external  raids,  and 
counter-raids,  and  that  we  (by  we  I  mean  the 
European  world),  instead  of  endeavouring  to  check 
and  amend  their  customs,  have  rather  chosen  a 
contrary  course.  We  have  furnished  them  with  the 
means  of  carrying  on  successful  and  destructive 
raids ;  we  have  supplied  them  with  rifles,  and  it 
cannot  be  expected  that  they  would  do  otherwise 
than  try  their  level  best  to  wipe  out  old  scores  with 
their  less  fortunately  armed  neighbours,  and  reclaim 
land  which  they  consider  belongs  by  right  to  the 

330 


Human   Nature  Triumphant 

Abyssinian  dominion.  Though  thus  well  armed, 
they  have  at  times  met  with  reverses,  but,  as  a 
general  rule,  have  completely  conquered  and  sub- 
dued countries  and  tribes,  and  have  made  their 
name  one  to  be  sometimes  hated,  sometimes 
respected,  but  always  to  be  feared.  It  would  be 
irrational  to  expect  two  African  races  of  traditional 
enemies,  whose  countries  are  coterminous  with  one 
another,  to  institute  friendship  and  equality  of 
rights,  when  one  side  suddenly  finds  itself  provided 
with  the  means  of  totally  overwhelming  the  other 
side,  and  of  appropriating  all  its  property.  To 
expect  that  they  would  act  otherwise  than  to  prove 
their  superiority  would  be  an  absurdity.  Though 
the  Abyssinians  are  a  Christian  people,  it  is  no 
guarantee  at  all  that  they  will  not  sometimes  behave 
like  their  neighbours.  One  African  calls  himself  a 
Mussulman,  another  a  believer  in  Wak,  and  so  on, 
but  that  does  not  mean  that  he,  more  than  other 
people,  invariably  adheres  to  the  precepts  of  his 
Teacher.  In  considering  the  question  of  the 
Abyssinian  raids,  the  results  emanating  therefrom, 
and  the  most  advisable  way  of  checking  them,  there 
is  no  need,  therefore,  to  take  into  account  their 
religion. 

It  is  undoubtedly  true  that  from  our  point  of 
view  the  Abyssinians  are,  in  many  respects,  savages, 
yet,  in  my  opinion,  they  are  savages  of  a  very  special 
blend;  in  spite  of  their  ignorance,  their  able  intellect, 
combined  with  their  strength  as  a  fighting  people, 
which  cannot  be  lost  sight  of,  has  placed  them  in  a 
very  unique  position.  Had  they  never  received 

331 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

a  practically  unlimited  supply  of  arms,  they  might 
still  have  scarcely  counted  as  a  factor  in  the  civilized 
world ;  they  might  possibly  have  been  swallowed 
up  by  the  first  European  nation  clever  enough  to 
estimate  properly  the  true  value  of  the  people  and 
of  the  country  they  had  to  deal  with,  and  powerful 
and  able  enough  to  rule  them.  The  Abyssinians 
are  savages  in  our  eyes,  because,  so  far,  they  have 
had  no  opportunity  of  learning  the  virtues  and  vices 
of  civilization.  As  soon  as  we  have  come  in  closer 
contact  with  them,  and  our  friendship  and  intercourse 
are  more  recognized,  then  we  shall  be  in  a  better 
position  to  judge.  As  far  as  I  can  see,  in  my 
own  limited  way,  the  Abyssinians  are  gifted  with 
exceptional  intelligence — readily  grasping  the  object, 
and  recognizing  the  value  of  any  innovation  they 
see.  After  very  little  instruction  they  can  master 
whatever  matter  may  be  in  question,  and  if  they  find 
this  impossible  at  first,  they  simply  smile  and  confess 
their  ignorance.  The  Abyssinians  have  been  classed 
as  notorious  robbers.  Personally  speaking,  I  have 
never  had  a  single  article  taken  by  them,  though  all 
my  belongings,  including  food  and  money,  have 
been  open  to  every  comer.  They  undoubtedly  steal 
from  one  another  in  a  petty  way,  but  more  out  of 
fun  than  anything  else.  The  Abyssinians  are 
undeniably  brave.  Though  they  will  raid  a  petty 
tribe  with  a  strong  force,  they  certainly  show  their 
wisdom  in  gaining  their  object  without  loss  to 
themselves ;  and  in  this  respect  we  might  perhaps 
take  a  lesson  from  them.  The  Abyssinians  who 
came  with  me  were  very  much  afraid  at  first  to 

332 


Old  Customs  now  Extinct 

leave  camp  and  go  alone  through  a  portion  of  the 
Shangkalla  country,  but  I  chaffed  them  by  saying 
that  they  were  afraid  of  antelope,  and  when  they 
got  in  time  to  know  my  ways,  they  grew  absolutely 
fearless.  Of  course,  my  own  knowledge  of  Abys- 
sinians  and  their  country  is  small,  and  I  do  not  for 
a  moment  pretend  to  lay  down  the  law  with  regard 
to  them  ;  I  am  merely  making  deductions  from  some 
of  my  experiences. 

But  to  return  to  the  raiding.  It  may  be  as  well 
to  look  at  some  of  the  results  it  has  caused.  Take, 
for  instance,  a  tribe  like  the  Asilli,  living  north-east  of 
Lake  Gallop.  It  has  been  their  ancient  custom  to  pay 
the  priest,  on  celebrating  a  marriage,  ghi,  honey,  and 
sheep.  An  Asilli  may  have  four  or  five  wives,  if  he 
can  afford  to  pay  for  them — each  costing  as  much  as 
twenty  sheep  or  fourteen  cows.  "  But,"  I  remarked 
to  them,  "  how  can  you  pay  the  priest  and  buy  your 
wives,  since  you  say  the  Abyssinians  have  taken  all 
your  property?"  "Oh,"  my  informant  said,  "that 
is  all  knocked  on  the  head  now ;  we  pay  the  priest 
nothing,  and  the  women  come  to  us."  Again,  with 
regard  to  burying  the  dead  :  their  custom  was  to 
wrap  a  cloth  round  the  dead  body,  and  place  it  in  a 
hole  in  the  ground,  afterwards  removing  the  cloth, 
and  covering  the  remains  with  it.  The  cloth  they 
used  to  buy  from  the  Borana  tribes,  by  Lake  Stefanie, 
in  exchange  for  sheep ;  but  this  old  custom,  too,  has 
been  swept  away  by  the  Abyssinian  raids. 

Let  me  now  select  another  raided  tribe  like  the 
Boma,  living  on  the  hills  north-west  of  Lake  Gallop. 
They  have,  so  far,  scarcely  felt  the  worst  phases  of 

333 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

raiding ;  yet  they  have  been  taken  by  surprise, 
their  goods  appropriated,  and  the  men  spared,  for 
it  would  seem  they  had  no  time  to  resist.  But,  on 
the  next  occasion,  they  will  undoubtedly  be  ready, 
and  will  fight.  This  was  proved  when  they  saw 
me  coming,  and  prepared  for  a  struggle,  thinking 
we  were  the  Nuga.  They  will  then  have  to  pay  a 
heavy  penalty,  for,  ignorant  of  the  power  of  rifles, 
they  will  be  shot  down  without  mercy.  Look 
again  at  the  Morelli  tribe,  of  whom  more  hereafter 
— a  tribe  of  living  skeletons — a  sight  that  made  one 
long  to  check  the  accursed  raids. 

Further  north,  moreover,  the  inhabitants  of 
village  after  village  had  left  all  their  property 
behind  them  and  fled,  without  attempting  to  fight 
or  parley  with  us,  simply  because  they  imagined 
we  were  Abyssinians  paying  them  another  visit. 
These  poor  people  only  too  well  knew  the  power 
of  the  rifle,  and  felt  that  had  they  remained  any- 
where at  all  near  us,  they  would  have  paid  for  the 
delay  with  their  lives. 

To  summarize  briefly  the  results  of  raiding  : 
They  destroy  ancient  traditions  and  customs  of  ap- 
parently peaceful  tribes  ;  and  they  put  a  stop  to 
agriculture,  and  thus  render  the  lives  of  thousands 
of  people  miserable,  both  through  want  of  food  and 
from  continued  dread  of  further  raids. 

Now,  in  order  to  put  a  check  on  their  raiding, 
there  is,  in  my  opinion,  one  speedy  and  effective 
method,  and  that  consists  in  fixing  a  frontier  line 
round  the  Abyssinian  dominion,  as  close  to  it  as 
possible.  I  put  forward  this  suggestion  now,  not 

334 


A   Suggested   Remedy 

from  a  political,  but  simply  from  a  common-sense 
point  of  view.  Were  such  a  suggestion  carried  out, 
raiding  would  at  once  be  brought  within  certain 
limits.  Abyssinian  raiding-parties  could  not  cross 
the  border-line,  and  the  practice  would  probably 
cease.  Those  tribes  who  suffered  on  one  side  of 
the  line  would,  naturally  enough,  cross  over  to  the 
other  side,  where  they  could  live  and  enjoy  life. 
Were  such  a  proposition  ever  carried  out,  the 
Abyssinians  themselves  would  in  the  long  run  reap 
the  benefit  from  it,  for  on  finding  the  source  of 
supplies  derived  from  raiding  cut  short,  they  would 
turn  their  attention  to  more  profitable  pursuits,  and 
would  have  to  trade.  Remembering  the  able  men 
that  the  country  possesses,  and  the  undoubted 
intellect  of  the  Abyssinians  in  general,  there  is 
every  reason  to  hope  that  the  Abyssinian  nation 
would  then  prosper  and  grow  rich. 


335 


CHAPTER   XXIX 

FROM  THE  BOMA  TO  THE  SHILLUK  COUNTRY 

More  about  the  Boma  people — A  jam  tree — The  Morelli  tribe — The 
Ruzi  river  again — The  Nyuro  country — A  difficult  crossing — A 
fertile  and  magnificent  land — The  seroot  fly — A  deserted  village — 
Encamped  on  an  ant-hill — The  Shilluks. 

BUT  to  return  to  my  journey :  In  the  afternoon  we 
ascended  to  the  top  of  a  pass  rising  some  2000  feet 
between  the  green-clad  hills.  From  the  high  ground 
we  saw  several  villages  of  another  Boma  tribe,  so, 
leaving  the  caravan  to  camp  at  the  very  summit  of 
the  pass  (for  I  thought  a  good  blow  might  do  us  all 
good),  I  went  down  hill  towards  the  villages  with 
three  of  my  men  and  the  guide.  As  the  people  saw 
us  coming  they  ran  here  and  there  collecting  their 
forces,  evidently  preparing  to  fight.  Still,  we  walked 
on  towards  them,  although  they  were  every  moment 
becoming  more  numerous.  When  my  guide  called 
to  them  that  we  had  nothing  to  do  with  Nuga,  but 
were  Koshumba,  they  at  first  appeared  doubtful,  but 
afterwards  they  all  came  up  to  us,  and  we  were  very 
soon  friends.  Four  of  them  agreed  to  come  up  to 
my  camp.  On  arrival,  they  were  soon  made  happy 
with  some  food  and  a  gift  of  one  of  our  few  re- 
maining sheep.  They  regretted  the  present  state 

336 


The   Prepossessing  Boma 

they  were  in,  for  they  possessed  no  grain  at  all,  as 
it  had  been  taken  away  by  the  Nuga,  and  they  were 
now  waiting  for  the  next  crop  to  ripen.  They 
explained  how  the  Nuga  had  settled  amongst  them 
and  then  suddenly  deprived  them  of  all  they 
possessed.  This  Boma  tribe,  who  live  in  the  hills, 
carry  two  or  even  three  spears — very  slender  though 
fairly  long.  They  smoke  pipes  and  adorn  the  fore- 
head with  a  mass  of  red,  white,  and  blue  beads,  like 
some  of  the  Abba  tribe.  Some  of  them  I  found 
wonderfully  quick  and  intelligent,  whilst  others  could 
not  or  would  not  understand  anything  at  all ;  but 
they  are  a  fairly  fine  race  of  men. 

They  inhabit  a  very  beautiful  country  of  hill, 
dale,  and  streams,  where  all  the  valleys  and  hillsides 
that  have  not  been  appropriated  for  growing  dhura 
and  tobacco,  are  covered  with  luxuriant  grass,  under- 
growth, and  fine  timber.  The  soil  is  exceptionally 
rich,  some  of  it  being  black  and  some  of  a  reddish 
colour.  I  found  cotton  growing,  though  I  fancy  it 
is  not  cultivated,  inasmuch  as  the  Boma,  like  the 
rest  of  these  tribes,  see  no  advantage  in  wearing 
clothes  of  any  description. 

It  was  daybreak  on  the  ist  of  June  when  we 
left  our  camp  on  the  pass,  and,  after  traversing  the 
grand  country  of  the  Boma,  which  very  often 
reminded  me  of  Walamo  in  Southern  Abyssinia 
(though  of  course  the  hills  were  not  so  fine  nor  were 
there  any  devils  connected  with  this  district),  we 
stopped  for  breakfast  in  the  long  grass  under  the 
shade  of  a  large  tree  whose  circumference  at  the 
stem  measured  twenty-five  feet.  I  had  sent  back 

337  z 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

the  Shangkalla  from  the  first  Bomi  tribe,  and  his 
place  had  now  been  taken  by  three  men  from  the 
second,  who  were  willing  enough  to  show  me  the 
best  route  through  their  own  land.  Close  by  where 
we  halted  we  found  a  tree  that  was  new  to  all  of  us  : 
it  resembled  a  cherry  tree  and  bore  a  fruit  very 
much  like  jam,  containing  a  green  nut — a  new  and 
naturally  manufactured  preserve  that  came  in  rather 
handy  for  breakfast. 

In  the  afternoon  we  came  to  another  tribe  called 
the  Morelli.  We  had  only  just  struck  the  outskirts 
of  their  tribal  limits,  for  they  extended  eastwards  as 
far  as  our  first  river  Ruzi.  On  catching  sight  of  us 
they  took  us  for  the  Nuga,  and  were  very  much 
afraid,  but,  thanks  to  my  Boma  men,  an  amicable 
understanding  was  soon  arrived  at.  This  was 
fortunate  indeed,  for  without  their  help  we  should 
never  have  found  water  that  evening.  As  our 
Boma  guides  had  brought  us  safely  to  the  neigh- 
bouring tribe,  they  asked  if  they  might  return,  a 
request  I  readily  agreed  to.  Before  going  I  pleased 
them  in  the  highest  degree  by  presenting  them  with 
an  empty  kerosene-tin  and  a  blue  enamelled  mug. 

The  Morelli  tribe  were  in  a  very  sad  way,  indeed, 
owing  to  the  raids  of  the  Nuga,  and  said  they  were 
absolutely  starving.  There  was  no  need  to  tell  me 
all  this,  for  their  outward  appearance  showed  only 
too  truthfully  the  condition  they  were  in.  They  were 
living  in  a  very  pretty  bit  of  country  with  plenty  of 
woods,  with  here  and  there  a  delaib  palm.  How 
anxiously  must  the  Morelli  watch  the  growth  of 
the  r  next  crop,  and  how  eager  they  must  be  to  reap 

338 


The   Starving  Morelli 

the  harvest  before  some  raiding  party  comes  and 
does  it  for  them  !  One  of  the  Morelli  came  to  me 
explaining  that  he  would  go  with  me  anywhere  I 
liked  if  I  would  only  give  him  something  to  eat.  "  A 
bargain  !  "  I  cried,  or  words  and  gesticulations  to  that 
effect,  and  straightway  I  gave  him  a  lump  of  wild 
donkey  flesh.  Having  eaten  a  portion  of  it,  he 
asked  if  he  might  take  the  remainder  to  his  family 
in  the  village,  saying  he  would  soon  return  again. 
I  willingly  let  him  go,  for  I  could  see  quite  well  that 
the  man  meant  what  he  said.  It  seems  strange  that 
many  people  of  the  same  tribe  speak  totally  different 
languages,  but  very  likely  this  has  a  good  deal  to  do 
with  their  skill  and  ability  in  understanding  signs 
and  in  illustrating  their  meaning.  The  Morelli 
skeleton  was  not  very  long  absent.  On  his  return 
he  began  to  bemoan  his  bony  frame,  explaining  how 
he  used  to  be  a  powerful  young  fellow,  but  to-day 
was  nothing  but  a  skeleton. 

We  gave  the  poor  fellow  plenty  of  food,  for  all 
my  men  knew  he  would  then  act  as  a  guide,  and, 
having  no  relish  for  another  waterless  march,  they 
overfed  him,  and  so  loaded  him  with  victuals,  that, 
on  that  score,  at  any  rate,  he  had  no  cause  of  com- 
plaint. Two  lambs  were  born  that  evening.  One 
of  these  he  skewered  with  a  stick,  and  roasted  it 
over  the  fire  whole  before  devouring  it,  the  second 
one  he  carried  next  day  on  his  spear  uncooked,  a 
good  breakfast  in  store  for  him  after  the  march. 

We  kept  along  the  side  of  some  wooded  hills, 
and  everywhere  the  country  was  extremely  fertile. 
We  passed  several  more  villages,  but  all  the  people 

339 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

fled,  doubtless  taking  us  for  the  Nuga.  My  Morelli, 
though  a  skeleton,  was  a  very  decent  sort  of  fellow, 
quite  civilized  in  his  behaviour.  On  passing  one  of 
the  villages,  he  popped  inside  a  hut  without  saying 
a  word  to  me,  and  presently  emerged  with  some 
green  tobacco  leaves,  which,  with  a  look  of  pleasure, 
he  handed  to  me,  at  the  same  time  patting  his  belly, 
as  much  as  to  say,  "  This  is  for  what  you  have  given 
me."  As  we  made  our  second  march  in  the  after- 
noon, we  discovered  another  kind  of  fruit.  Exter- 
nally it  resembled  an  orange,  but  inside  it  was  a 
mass  of  large  pips  covered  with  a  yellow  pulp.  It 
was  quite  eatable,  though  possessing  scarcely  any 
flavour.  Away  to  the  west  of  us  there  stretched  a 
magnificent  green  plain  as  far  as  the  eye  could  see. 
East  of  us,  too,  the  land  appeared  equally  fertile, 
and  was  bounded  by  the  dim  and  distant  range  of 
the  Abyssinian  hills. 

In  the  evening  we  found  some  rain-water  of  ex- 
cellent quality  in  the  rocks  and  I  was  also  lucky  in 
being  able  to  observe  three  stars  between  the  clouds. 
After  marching  four  miles  the  next  day  through  a 
beautifully  wooded  land,  we  came  to  a  very  awk- 
ward stream.  There  were  four  feet  of  a  steep 
muddy  bank  down  to  the  water,  which  came  above 
the  waist,  and  there  was  no  better  crossing  either 
up  or  down  stream.  It  was  a  very  nasty  place  to 
ask  a  loaded  camel  to  cross,  and,  before  we  could 
think  of  doing  so,  we  hacked  away  both  sides  of  the 
banks,  and  collected  a  quantity  of  boughs.  These, 
mixed  up  with  the  broken  earth,  made  a  fairly 
respectable  road  to  the  bottom  of  the  stream.  The 

340 


A  Difficult  Crossing 

mules  raised  no  objection  whatever  to  the  improve- 
ment we  had  made,  though  the  donkeys  and  camels 
were  as  obstinate  as  could  be,  and  had  to  be  lite- 
rally pushed  in  by  main  force.  The  sheep  were 
thrown  into  the  water,  and  scrambled  up  the  oppo- 
site bank  of  their  own  accord.  I  myself  was  about 
to  wade  across  like  every  one  else,  but  the  men 
wouldn't  hear  of  it,  and  so  many  of  them  jumped 
into  the  stream  that  nolens  volens  I  had  to  be 
carried  across.  On  the  opposite  bank  some  of  the 
men  had  erected  a  most  enticing-looking  shady 
bower  for  me  to  spend  the  morning  in.  We  had, 
indeed,  come  to  a  very  lovely  spot  with  plenty  of 
trees,  and  rich  grass,  and  abundance  of  good  water. 
I  began  to  calculate  how  long  it  would  be  before  we 
reached  civilization,  and  to  reckon  up  how  many 
more  days'  supplies  we  had  with  us.  The  sheep 
would  last  three  days,  the  dhura  two,  and  the  dur- 
gosh  and  flour  three ;  then  there  were  the  camels, 
each  of  which  would  give  all  of  us  a  day's  food. 

This  same  afternoon  we  met  our  tricky  old  friend 
the  first  river  Ruzi,  and  camped  about  three  hundred 
yards  from  its  banks.  My  Morelli  guide  informed 
me  that  a  tribe  called  the  Nyuro  lived  but  a  short 
distance  off,  on  the  further  side  of  a  wood,  so  I  sent 
five  men  to  reconnoitre,  and  bring  me  some  of  the 
Nyuro  to  camp  should  they  come  across  any.  The 
Morelli  savage  did  not  want  to  go  any  further,  for 
he  said  if  the  Nyuro  saw  him  they  would  try  and 
kill  him,  for  his  own  tribe  were  always  at  war  with 
them ;  so  I  did  not  care  to  insist  upon  his  serving 
us  any  longer,  especially  as  he,  up  to  the  present, 


'Twixt   Sirdar  and  Menelik 

had  helped  us  to  the  best  of  his  ability.  My  scouts, 
on  returning,  reported  a  bad  road,  and  no  signs  of 
the  Nyuro.  A  little  distance  from  our  camp  there 
stretched  a  waste  of  marshy  ground  and  high  grass 
down  to  the  river's  edge,  and  in  the  midst  of  the 
swamp  were  many  hippopotami,  who  at  night-time 
wandered  close  to  our  zareba  in  their  search  after 
food.  As  soon  as  darkness  set  in  we  met  some 
more  old  friends  in  the  form  of  mosquitoes.  These 
were  most  annoying  throughout  the  night,  and, 
though  the  sentries  made  a  fire  close  to  where  I  lay, 
the  shoals  of  mosquitoes  were  too  thick  to  be  driven 
away  by  the  smoke,  so  that  in  addition  to  being 
nearly  eaten  up,  I  was  half  roasted  as  well. 

By  this  time  Lady's  pup  was  growing  into  a 
very  fine  dog,  and  was  untiring  in  his  hunts  after 
hares  and  antelope.  He  gave  his  mother  very 
little  rest  along  the  road,  for  she  preferred  trotting 
on  quietly,  unless  she  scented  something,  when  she 
was  off  like  an  arrow,  invariably  followed  by  the 
pup.  They  were  both  excellent  watch-dogs,  so  that 
no  one  could  approach  my  bed  without  my  becom- 
ing aware  of  it. 

Unless  there  seemed  a  chance  of  rain,  we  seldom 
pitched  any  of  the  tents,  and  at  midday,  as  a  rule, 
found  sufficient  shade  under  the  trees.  The  track 
we  followed  next  morning  brought  us  to  the  edge 
of  a  thick  forest.  So  close  to  one  another  did  the 
trees  grow,  that  we  had  considerable  trouble  in  cut- 
ting a  road  large  enough  for  our  camels  to  go  along  ; 
but,  after  labouring  for  some  hours,  we  emerged  by 
the  edge  of  some  fields  of  dhura,  close  by  which 

342 


Lost  in  a  Marsh 

stood  the  villages  of  the  Nyuro.  We  knew  quite 
well  we  were  approaching  some  habitations,  for  \\e 
had  heard  cocks  crowing  during  the  morning.  It 
was  just  as  well  that  the  Nyuro  were  not  aggres- 
sively inclined,  for  they  could  have  made  our  posi- 
tion in  the  forest  very  unpleasant.  As  it  turned 
out  they  had  taken  fright  and  fled,  having  doubtless 
heard  us  felling  the  trees,  and  imagining  we  were  a 
strong  force  of  the  Nuga. 

We  followed  a  track  through  the  fields  and  high 
grass,  and,  after  a  little,  found  ourselves  on  the  banks 
of  the  river  Ruzi.  They  were  steep  and  some 
fifteen  feet  high,  with  only  a  narrow  path  leading 
down  to  the  water.  This  was  quite  impracticable 
for  our  camels,  and,  even  had  they  been  able  to 
reach  the  water's  edge,  the  crossing  to  the  opposite 
bank  would  have  been  a  tedious  undertaking,  for 
the  water  was  deep  and  from  twenty  to  thirty 
yards  broad  ;  besides,  there  was  no  advantage  to  be 
gained  by  crossing  to  the  other  side  if  we  could 
find  a  road  somewhere  on  the  side  we  were  on. 
Our  attempts  at  finding  a  way  were  without  avail, 
and,  in  the  end,  we  had  to  retrace  our  steps  through 
the  forest  and  find  a  road  round  the  stream  further 
away  from  its  banks,  through  marshes  and  grass  so 
high  that  we  were  all  completely  hidden  from  view. 
It  was  quite  evident  that  the  best  course  for  us  to 
adopt  was  to  march  at  least  half  a  mile,  or  even  a 
mile  away  from  the  river,  where  we  were  likely 
to  find  higher  ground.  We  very  often  followed 
elephant  tracks,  and  were  sometimes  fortunate  in 
getting  easy  shots  at  hartebeest  and  waterbuck.  I 

243 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

was  sorry  to  have  had  no  dealings  with  the  Nyuro, 
who  would,  however,  see  we  meant  no  harm,  for  we 
strictly  left  untouched  all  their  belongings. 

One  night  we  saw  a  number  of  savages  outside 
our  zareba,  but  on  challenging  them  they  made  off. 
I  fancy  they  had  come  only  out  of  curiosity,  but  it 
would  be  far  nicer  if  they  came  by  daytime,  when 
they  would  be  able  to  see  much  more.  In  order  to 
let  them  know  we  were  always  on  the  watch,  I  fired 
off  a  shot  from  each  of  the  four  corners  of  the  camp. 

The  following  afternoon  we  camped  a  short 
distance  from  the  banks  of  the  second  river  Ruzi, 
but  it  was  too  late  to  think  of  crossing  the 
same  evening,  so  at  daybreak  I  went  down  to  the 
water  with  some  of  the  men  and  the  canvas  boat, 
leaving  instructions  for  the  remainder  to  bring  on 
the  baggage  animals  by  detachments  to  prevent 
undue  crowding.  It  chanced  that  only  four  of  my 
men  could  swim — two  Abyssinians,  one  Soudanese, 
and  one  Somali.  These  four  I  sent  across  to  the 
opposite  bank,  together  wfth  two  men  in  the  canvas 
boat,  armed  with  rifles.  One  man  having  taken  up 
his  post  as  sentry  on  the  higher  ground,  we  com- 
menced the  operation  of  crossing  the  entire  caravan. 
The  water  was  only  about  seven  feet  deep,  so  that 
the  camels  without  their  loads  were  easily  pulled 
across  from  the  opposite  bank,  for  they  could  just 
feel  the  bottom  with  their  feet  and  still  keep  their 
heads  out  of  water.  One  of  the  camels  had  a  young 
one  who  followed  its  mother  in  the  most  loving 
manner  imaginable,  for  it  was  totally  regardless  of 
the  depth  of  the  stream,  and  must  have  had  to  swim 

344 


Crossing  the   Second  Ruzi 

for  a  short  distance.  The  mules  and  donkeys  swam 
across  with  but  little  trouble  ;  the  donkeys  were 
obstinate  until  they  saw  the  mules  giving  them  a 
lead,  when  they  entered  the  water  without  more  ado. 
One  ought  to  have  some  sympathy  for  the  asses, 
seeing  they  were  not  nearly  such  good  swimmers 
as  the  mules.  The  little  canvas  boat  was  most 
serviceable  for  carrying  the  goods  across.  A 
leather  rope  was  fastened  to  each  end,  and  the  boat, 
loaded  to  the  utmost,  was  pulled  backward  and 
forwards,  and  then  conveyed  the  men  two  at  a  time. 
The  sheep  were  driven  across  after  one  of  my 
swimmers,  who  led  the  way  with  one  of  them. 
The  entire  caravan,  consisting  of  fifteen  camels, 
twenty-five  sheep,  ten  mules,  twenty-eight  donkeys, 
and  forty-eight  men,  and  three  dogs,  had  crossed 
the  river  without  any  mishap  in  under  two  hours. 

On  exploring  the  opposite  bank  of  the  river, 
I  discovered  that  a  mile  or  so  up  stream  the  water 
was  shallow  enough  to  be  easily  fordable,  so  that 
we  really  might  have  crossed  without  any  trouble  at 
all ;  still,  it  did  not  matter,  for  it  was  just  as  well  we 
had  undergone  the  present  experience,  as  it  was  a 
preparation  for  other  more  serious  work  that  lay  in 
store  for  us.  Some  way  further  still  down  stream 
I  found  places  we  could  have  crossed  dry-shod, 
though  it  would  have  been  impossible  for  the 
animals  to  have  descended  the  steep,  rocky,  and 
overgrown  banks,  whilst  the  bed  of  the  river  itself 
was  most  irregular.  As  we  marched  in  the  after- 
noon, I  was  much  struck  by  the  fertility  of  the  soil, 
and  wondered  whether  the  day  would  eventually 

345 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

dawn  when  so  vast  an  extent  of  magnificent  land 
would  bear  crops  in  sufficient  abundance  to  satisfy 
millions.  At  present,  the  land  is  given  up  to  immense 
herds  of  antelope,  elephants,  rhino  and  giraffes. 

The  latter  are  exceedingly  beautiful  to  watch 
in  their  wild  state  ;  they  vary  considerably  in  the 
markings  on  their  body,  some  being  brown  and 
white,  and  others  black  and  white.  I  found  that 
when  disturbed  they  never  retired  to  any  great 
distance.  The  ground,  with  its  numerous  bushes, 
was  well  suited  for  stalking,  so  that  we  might  have 
knocked  over  any  number  of  them.  I  decided  to 
shoot  one  for  the  sake  of  its  meat,  and,  having  done 
so,  returned  to  find  a  place  for  the  caravan  to  halt 
and  spend  the  night  in.  On  returning  later  for 
the  giraffe,  I  found  an  immense  number  of  crows, 
scraggy-necked  vultures,  and  the  usual  storks,  yet, 
strange  to  say,  nowhere  could  I  discover  the  where- 
abouts of  the  animal  I  had  shot.  I  continued  look- 
ing until  nightfall,  and  then,  rather  disappointed, 
made  my  way  to  camp,  resolving  to  halt  the  next 
morning  and  institute  a  thorough  good  search,  for  the 
dead  body  must  have  been  concealed  somewhere  or 
other. 

As  it  happened,  we  had,  unfortunately,  camped 
in  a  district  infested  by  the  seroot  fly,  and  all  my 
camels  were  bleeding  practically  from  head  to  foot  in 
the  most  distressing  manner.  These  pests  are  a  little 
larger  than  a  bluebottle,  with  a  dark  green  head, 
brown  back,  and  large  transparent  wings.  They 
settle  on  their  prey  so  gently  as  to  attract  no  atten- 
tion ;  they  then  drive  right  through  the  skin  of  their 

346 


The  Prickly   Seroot  Fly 

victim  an  instrument  far  sharper  than  a  needle, 
which  immediately  draws  blood.  Their  sting  is 
quite  sharp.  I  have  had  many  of  them  on  my  bare 
legs,  and  seen  the  blood  trickle  down  almost  at  the 
same  moment  the  sting  has  been  felt.  They  can 
even  penetrate  through  a  flannel  shirt  and  draw 
blood.  There  was  another  smaller  fly  with  a  bright 
green  body  that  was  also  annoying,  though  not  to 
such  a  degree  as  the  seroot.  The  camels  were  the 
victims  most  sought  after,  and  the  donkeys  and  dogs 
were  not  so  much  appreciated  as  the  mules  and  the 
men. 

On  seeing  the  painful  way  in  which  my  camels 
had  been  affected,  I  considered  it  imperative  to 
move  on  at  daybreak,  and  leave  the  dead  giraffe 
to  the  tender  mercy  of  the  carrion  birds.  After 
all,  we  should  see  plenty  more  giraffe,  though  no 
more  camels.  I  was  not  far  wrong  in  my  expecta- 
tions, for  the  next  afternoon  we  saw  a  great  herd  of 
giraffe  standing  exactly  in  the  line  of  our  march, 
and  I  had  but  little  difficulty  in  bowling  over  a  fine 
old  mare,  whose  entire  skin  we  took  off.  The  men 
were  in  high  glee  at  the  sight  of  such  quantities  of 
meat,  and,  as  they  passed  by  with  the  caravan,  many 
of  them  drew  their  swords  and  knives,  and  cut  off  a 
slice  of  the  raw  meat  to  gnaw  at  along  the  road.  I 
ordered  them  to  form  camp  as  soon  as  they  reached 
a  suitable  spot,  and  leave  the  spare  baggage  animals 
with  me,  that  we  might  bring  into  camp  plenty  of 
meat  for  everybody.  On  inspecting  the  giraffe's 
mouth,  I  found  she  had  eight  front  teeth  in  the 
lower  jaw,  and  six  back  teeth  in  each  of  the  upper 

347 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

and  lower  jaws,  making  a  total  of  thirty-two  in  all. 
The  meat,  which  somewhat  resembles  veal,  is  excel- 
lent eating.  The  skin  of  a  giraffe  extends  to  an 
astonishing  size  when  spread  out  on  the  ground. 
Before  we  could  continue  our  march,  the  entire 
surface  had  to  be  thoroughly  scraped,  and  then 


SHEIKH   MUNYAN   AND   SHILLUKS. 


sprinkled  over  with  alum  or  wood  ashes,  and  kept 
well  out  of  the  sun.  Even  when  thoroughly  dried, 
the  skin  is  of  an  extraordinary  weight. 

At  the  last  camp  one  of  the  axes  had  been  left 
behind,  and,  as  we  could  not  very  well  afford  to  lose 
this,  I  sent  back  two  of  the  men  to  fetch  it.  They 
found  several  Shangkallas  already  appropriating 

348 


Signs   that  we   are   tracked 

our  old  zareba,  but  these  luckily  ran  away  and  left 
the  axe  behind  them.  This  was  additional  proof 
that  our  doings  were  watched  daily,  though  we  our- 
selves had  no  notion  of  it  whatever. 

Whilst  spending  the  morning  over  the  giraffe 
skin,  I  sent  three  men  to  inspect  the  road  in  front, 
so  as  to  save  us  trouble  in  the  afternoon.  As  they 
walked  on  through  the  bushes  and  over  the  grassy 
plains,  they  saw  several  waterbuck.  One  of  these 
they  shot,  and  after  hiding  the  body  with  branches 
and  grass,  they  returned  to  inform  me  of  the  results 
of  their  reconnaissance.  They  gave  me  a  very 
sensible  report  about  the  country,  saying  they  had 
seen  nobody  at  all,  and  had  shot  a  waterbuck  and 
concealed  it.  Yet  it  was  curious,  on  reaching  the 
spot,  to  find  that  the  ever-present  savages  had  been 
there  and  carried  off  all  the  flesh,  and  the  bones,  and 
even  the  brains  from  the  head.  Nothing  was  left 
behind  except  the  horns,  and  as  they  were  a  fine 
pair  I  took  them. 

After  again  crossing  the  second  river  Ruzi  on 
the  loth  of  June,  we  saw  in  front  of  us  several 
villages,  and  as  we  drew  nearer  I  was  astonished  to 
find  no  one  about.  One  would  have  thought  that  all 
the  tribesmen  would  have  run  forth  in  numbers  to 
view  so  unwonted  a  sight  as  we  must  have  presented. 
Closer  and  closer  we  came  till  we  learnt,  to  our 
astonishment,  that  there  was  nobody  there  at  all  to 
come  out — they  had  all  fled,  and  quite  recently  too. 
Everything  had  been  left  behind,  and  as  they  could 
not  have  left  their  homes  more  than  a  couple  of  hours 
previous  to  our  arrival,  it  was  evident  they  must 

349 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

have  taken  us  for  the  Nuga.  Though  I  was 
anxious  to  inspect  one  of  the  villages,  I  was  de- 
termined that  nobody  should  touch  anything  at 
all  belonging  to  these  people,  whoever  they  might 
be,  for  we  had  still  sufficient  food  to  go  on  with, 
and  I  hoped  that  by  leaving  everything  alone,  news 
would  spread  before  us  of  the  friendliness  of  our 
intentions,  and  would  induce  others  to  stay  in  their 
villages  and  receive  us. 

I  am  of  opinion  that  the  villages  belonged  to  the 
Shilluk  tribe,  though  I  had  no  proof.  On  entering 
one  of  the  tukls,  I  found  it  to  be  wonderfully  clean  ; 
the  floor  and  walls  had  been  carefully  and  smoothly 
plastered  with  mud,  and  every  particle  of  dirt  had 
been  scrupulously  swept  away.  There  were  several 
rather  nice-looking  dogs  about  the  place,  but  beyond 
an  occasional  bark  they  took  no  notice  of  me.  In 
one  of  the  tukls  I  found  a  very  old  man  lying  down- 
too  old  to  speak.  He  was  merely  a  bag  of  bones, 
and  the  sole  occupant  of  the  place.  There  were 
several  stores  of  dhura  kept  in  diminutive  tukls, 
built  purposely  for  preserving  it  from  the  weather, 
and  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  villages  there  was 
a  good  deal  of  dhura  growing.  Probably,  by  the 
time  their  present  stores  are  finished,  the  new  crop 
will  be  ready  for  use.  My  poor  Somalis  of  the  Esa 
tribe  had  declined  to  eat  giraffe  meat,  and,  being 
rather  hungry  at  supper  time,  were  observed  to  be 
picking  at  the  ear  of  a  dead  waterbuck.  They  had 
never  eaten  giraffe  flesh  before,  and  had  got  it  into 
their  heads  that  it  was  unclean  food.  However, 
they  became  wiser  as  the  days  went  by,  and  entirely 

35° 


The  Embarrassing  Ruzis 

agreed  with  me,  that,  after  all,  giraffe  flesh  was 
really  preferable  to  waterbuck  ear.  Many  of  the 
men  had  gone  to  the  opposite  extreme,  and  eaten 
so  much  meat  of  late  that  they  had  to  draw  heavily 
upon  my  medicine  chest. 

After  we  had  left  the  villages,  we  found  our- 
selves again  on  the  banks  of  the  first  river  Ruzi, 
now  quite  a  formidable-looking  stream.  There  were 
several  villages  on  the  opposite  side,  but  the  natives 
all  fled,  though  I  made  no  pretence  whatever  of 
crossing  over  to  them.  It  struck  me  as  somewhat 
remarkable,  to  know  that,  as  we  travelled  north- 
wards, we  were  marching  between  two  rivers,  each 
of  them  called  Ruzi,  the  sources  of  both  of  which 
we  had  practically  discovered.  Sometimes  they 
flowed  within  two  miles  of  each  other,  at  other 
times  both  rivers  would  be  lost  to  view,  and  we  did 
not  know  which  we  were  most  likely  to  strike  again 
first.  There  appeared  to  be  no  reason  in  crossing 
the  bigger,  or  first  Ruzi,  though,  had  we  done  so,  we 
might  have  found  a  better  road,  for,  as  it  happened, 
the  track  we  were  following  on  the  left  bank  of  the 
river  vanished  unaccountably,  and  we  had  no  alter- 
native but  to  cut  our  way  through  reed-looking  grass 
some  eight  or  ten  feet  high.  On  reaching  the 
further  side,  we  traversed  a  very  lumpy,  grassy  plain. 
Look  in  whatever  direction  we  might,  the  plain  was 
interminable — we  had  done  with  the  hills.  Though 

o 

the  soil  seemed  good,  the  grass  was  of  a  coarse 
nature,  very  different  from  the  nourishing  grass  we 
had  found  southwards.  As  night  came  on  us,  and 
there  was  no  moon,  we  were  forced  to  halt  and 

351 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

camp.  There  was  not  a  stick  within  miles  of  us, 
nor  was  there  any  water  as  far  as  we  could  see,  for 
neither  of  the  Ruzis  was  visible.  Some  of  the  men — 
one  from  each  section — were  quite  ready,  however,  to 
take  the  cans  and  go  forth  in  the  darkness  in  search 
of  water,  whilst  the  remainder,  somewhat  tired  after 
a  twenty-miles'  march,  lay  down  and  slept.  There 
was  a  mound  of  earth  near  our  bivouac,  and,  after 
levelling  off  the  top,  I  prepared  to  spend  the  night 
on  it,  when  I  found,  to  my  great  discomfort,  that  I 
was  being  devoured  by  countless  tiny  yellow  ants. 
These  little  persevering  wretches,  added  to  shoals 
of  mosquitoes,  considerably  interfered  with  the 
night's  rest. 


352 


CHAPTER    XXX 

APPROACHING    THE    SIRDAR'S    DOMAINS 

Through  the  swamps — Frightened  villagers — We  strike  another  river 
— And  cross  in  safety — More  marshes — Shangkalla  scarecrows  — 
"  Fashoda  !  Fashoda  !  " — Ideal  savages — An  important  river — 
Native  fishermen — Impromptu  ropes — Pulling  the  animals  across 
stream — Bonfire  communication — Milking  a  dead  giraffe — An 
ocean  of  grass — Attacked  by  bees — More  deserted  villages. 

IT  was  useless  to  remain  longer  than  could  pos- 
sibly be  helped  in  such  a  comfortless  camp,  so,  at 
daybreak,  we  loaded  up  and  moved  on,  and,  after 
travelling  for  an  hour,  found  ourselves  on  boggy 
ground.  The  further  we  went  the  worse  became 
the  swamp,  and  we  had  eventually  to  retrace  our 
steps  and  work  round  it ;  but  after  successfully  pass- 
ing it,  we  encountered  a  far  more  formidable  swamp 
that  seemed  interminable.  Many  of  the  donkeys 
and  mules  were  bogged,  and  the  camels  could  only 
move  very  slowly  ;  we  struggled  over  more  than  a 
mile  of  the  marshy  ground,  and,  whilst  spying  out 
the  land  with  my  glasses,  to  discover,  if  possible,  a 
way  out  of  it,  I  fancied  I  could  see  some  higher  and 
dry  ground  to  our  left.  Just  then  I  caught  sight  of 
a  crowd  of  Shangkallas  straight  in  front  moving 
towards  us,  whilst  other  small  groups  of  threes  and 

353  2  A 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

fours  were  intently  watching  us.  What  their  inten- 
tions were  I  had  no  notion.  My  first  impulse  was 
to  collect  my  caravan  and  get  out  of  the  swamp, 
which  was  for  the  most  part  knee-deep.  I  halted 
the  leading  animals,  and  sent  out  some  men  to 
inspect  the  ground  to  the  left,  whilst  I  kept  an  eye 
on  the  Shangkallas.  There  happened  to  be  a  couple 
of  trees  away  to  the  left  (not  that  these  guaranteed 
dry  ground,  for  to-day  we  had  found  single  trees 
growing  in  the  middle  of  the  swamp),  and  I  had 
told  the  men  to  wave  signals  from  them  if  the 
ground  were  good.  As  soon  as  I  saw  their  signal 
through  the  glasses,  I  turned  the  animals  that  had 
reached  me  in  that  direction,  and  sent  back  word 
to  the  rear  of  the  caravan  what  direction  to  take. 
What  became  of  all  the  Shangkallas  I  don't  know, 
for,  on  entering  some  high  grass,  we  lost  sight  of 
them,  and  on  reaching  dry  ground  they  were  no- 
where visible.  They  were  probably  just  as  much  in 
the  fog  as  to  who  we  were  and  what  we  were  up  to, 
as  we  were  in  regard  to  them. 

It  was  nearly  three  hours  later  before  the  last 
of  my  caravan  reached  the  dry  ground.  All  the 
country  around,  at  first  appearance,  looked  alike,  and 
it  was  impossible  to  know  where  swamps  began  and 
where  they  ended.  Of  course,  after  one  has  gone 
through  the  country  once,  one  would  have  no  diffi- 
culty on  a  second  visit  in-  traversing  the  whole  of  it 
dry-shod. 

In  the  afternoon  we  moved  on  again  from  our 
camp  by  the  two  trees  and  came  to  many  more 
villages,  from  which  all  the  people,  without 

354 


Water  Difficulties  again 

exception,  had  gone.  We  saw  nobody  and  touched 
nothing,  and  towards  evening  camped  in  sight  of 
some  more  villages,  from  which,  with  my  glasses,  I 
could  distinctly  see  the  people  making  off.  We 
were  again  unfortunate  with  regard  to  our  water,  for 
it  took  the  men  three  hours  to  fetch  it.  It  must  be 
remembered  that  a  can  holding  several  gallons  of 
water  is  no  light  weight,  and  a  man  cannot  walk 
quickly  for  a  couple  of  miles  with  it.  During  their 
absence  I  amused  myself  by  observing  the  stars  and 
changing  my  photographic  plates.  As  usual  of  late, 
the  mosquitoes  paid  us  friendly  visits  throughout  the 
night. 

The  next  morning  we  passed  through  the  village 
from  which  I  had  seen  the  people  making  off. 
There  were  any  number  of  fowl  and  guinea-fowl, 
but  we  touched  nothing ;  and  as  we  marched  on, 
along  a  very  good  and  well-worn  track,  we  saw 
Shangkallas  in  the  distance  occupying  every  mound 
or  high  piece  of  ground,  but  they  always  disap- 
peared when  we  came  within  five  or  six  hundred 
yards  of  them.  They  had  evidently  felt  the 
effects  of  rifles,  and  were  afraid  to  come  within 
what  they  considered  to  be  a  dangerous  range.  I 
felt  extremely  annoyed,  and  sorry  that  these  poor 
savages  should  be  so  terribly  afraid  of  us  ;  they  must 
have  experienced  severe  treatment  previously.  .1 
had  no  means  of  explaining  to  them  that  to  do  them 
any  harm  was  farthest  from  our  wishes,  for  we  could 
not  get  within  speaking  distance,  try  how  we  would. 

After  a  while  we  came  to  a  thick  clump  of  trees, 
where  a  fire  was  still  smouldering,  round  which 

355 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

were  pieces  of  a  large  fish.  The  villagers  had  evi- 
dently spent  the  night  there,  and  had  roasted  fish 
for  supper.  Some  way  west  of  us  we  could  see  the 
reflection  of  a  large  amount  of  water,  and  concluded 
there  must  be  a  lake.  Soon  afterwards  we  crossed 
the  first  river  Ruzi  at  its  junction  with  a  stream. 
The  water  came  a  little  way  over  our  waists,  and, 
though  the  current  was  strong,  the  entire  caravan 
got  over  without  mishap.  After  crossing  this  river 
we  carne  upon  the  most  disheartening  marshy  ground 
imaginable.  There  was  water  everywhere — streams, 
mud,  and  high  grass, — and,  knowing  full  well  that 
the  caravan  behind  me  would  be  in  trouble,  I  re- 
solved to  find  a  place  to  halt,  and  then  go  back  and 
help  them.  Some  way  in  front  of  us  I  saw  many 
Shangkallas  by  the  side  of  a  large  tree  watching  our 
struggles,  while  others  were  perched  like  birds  on 
various  mounds  of  earth.  Before  reaching  this  tree 
I  had  to  pass  through  a  quantity  of  high  grass,  and, 
for  the  time  being,  lost  sight  of  the  Shangkallas  ;  but, 
on  the  tree  coming  into  view  again,  about  a  hundred 
yards  off",  they  had  all  gone.  The  tree  grew  on  a 
piece  of  rising  ground,  and  for  about  two  hundred 
yards  on  all  sides  there  was  no  water  at  all.  This 
was  a  very  suitable  spot  for  bringing  together  the 
caravan,  and,  whilst  I  returned  to  cheer  the  men  up, 
I  sent  forward  those  men  who  were  with  me  to 
reconnoitre  the  land  ahead.  On  looking  through 
my  glasses,  I  saw  several  villages  in  the  direction 
in  which  we  intended  marching,  and  congregated 
in  front  of  them,  were  several  hundred  Shangkallas, 
of  whose  intentions  I  was  quite  ignorant.  It  seemed 

356 


The   Ubiquitous   Mosquito 

to  me  that  the  best  course  would  be  to  struggle 
along  through  the  marshes,  and  to  act  as  though 
there  were  no  Shangkallas  at  all — beyond,  of  course, 
keeping  a  sharp  look-out.  Close  to  our  halt  for 
breakfast  was  a  narrow  stream,  neck  deep,  and  just 
on  the  other  side  of  it  a  small  village,  abandoned 
some  months  previously.  It  struck  me  as  very 
remarkable  that  there  should  be  human  beings  who 
prefer  to  build  their  houses  in  the  middle  of  an 
unhealthy  marsh,  and  nightly  to  be  worried  by 
thousands  of  mosquitoes,  and  I  often  wonder  whether 
men  who  are  brought  up  from  childhood  amongst 
mosquitoes  are  ever  troubled  by  these  pests. 

As  soon  as  the  caravan  arrived,  and  the  scouts 
had  returned  and  reported  nothing  but  water  ahead, 
we  set  about  our  breakfasts,  the  Somalis  faring  well 
on  a  baby  camel  that  was  born  that  morning.  As 
soon  as  all  were  refreshed  we  loaded  up  again,  for 
none  of  us  had  any  wish  to  spend  the  night  sur- 
rounded by  swamps.  We  crossed  the  deep  little 
stream,  and  then  began  to  struggle  and  flounder 
along  through  mud  and  water,  mostly  waist  deep. 
Very  often  we  could  see  no  distance  at  all,  owing  to 
the  high  reedy  grass,  and,  when  we  did,  we  only 
saw  Shangkallas  watching  us  as  before.  Some  of 
the  mules  and  most  of  the  donkeys  sank  deep  into 
the  mud,  and  had  to  be  unloaded  and  hauled  out  by 
ropes,  the  loads  being  transferred  to  men's  heads 
through  the  swamps.  As  for  the  camels,  they 
managed  wonderfully  well.  Though  they  moved 
slowly,  they  nevertheless  carried  their  loads  through 
the  water  without  requiring  any  unloading.  I  had 

357 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

always  been  given  to  understand  that  a  camel  was 
totally  unfitted  to  negotiate  swampy  land,  but  this 
journey  had  proved  the  belief  fallacious.  Here  was 
a  case  in  point  where  the  donkeys  and  mules  were 
helpless  while  the  camels  worked  admirably. 

After  we  had  all  eventually  struggled  to  the  end 
of  the  swamps,  we  reached  some  higher  ground 
covered  with  large  fields  of  dhura  in  full  bloom. 
There  were  several  raised  platforms  here  and  there, 
erected  by  the  Shangkallas  as  places  from  which  to 
fling  stones  and  drive  away  the  birds  from  their 
crops.  On  the  present  occasion  they  had  made 
use  of  them  to  watch  our  movements.  Some  of 
them  were  still  sticking  to  their  posts  when  !  came 
within  shouting  distance,  so  I  called  out  at  the  top 
of  my  voice,  "  Fashoda !  Fashoda  !  "  and  they,  in 
reply,  pointed  out  with  their  spears  the  direction  of 
the  place,  and  then  jumped  down  and  ran  away. 
We  took  a  track  that  circled  through  the  fields 
where  dhura  was  growing  some  ten  feet  high,  and, 
on  emerging  into  the  open,  saw  another  village  in 
the  direction  in  which  we  were  marching.  Between 
us  and  the  village  was  a  fast-flowing  stream  waist 
deep.  Until  we  reached  the  stream  the  people 
stuck  to  their  village,  but  when  they  saw  we  were 
actually  crossing,  as  though  a  stream  of  this  descrip- 
tion was  no  impediment  to  us,  they  all  fled  with  the 
exception  of  about  a  dozen  warriors.  They  were 
fine-looking  fellows  in  their  natural  state,  and,  with 
their  long  spears  and  heads  adorned  with  ostrich 
feathers,  were  very  picturesque.  I  was  hoping  they 
would  stand  their  ground  and  allow  me  to  come  up 

358 


Excessive  Timidity 

to  them,  or  else  come  to  me  themselves  ;  but  nothing 
of  the  sort — the  moment  I  had  crossed  the  water 
they  wheeled  off  in  single  file,  running  with  a  very 
high,  prancing  step  and  with  wonderful  agility. 
They  were  perfect  savages  to  look  at,  and  I  would 
have  given  worlds  to  have  been  able  to  talk  to 
them. 

After   passing   the    village    we   entered    better 
country,  and  camped  on  a  grassy  plain  on  the  out- 
skirts of  a  forest.     It  was  very  pleasant  marching 
through    thickly   wooded    country  after   the    moist 
experience  of  the  last  few  days.     We  passed  many 
villages    consisting   of  from    three   to   ten  houses 
apiece,  with  great  numbers  of  fowls  and  dogs,  and 
large  crops  of  dhura ;   all  the  people,  however,  had 
fled.     Presently  we  came  to  an  open  bit  of  country 
and  noticed  two  people  walking  along  very  slowly 
ahead  of  us,   so   I    ran   up  to  see  who  they  were. 
They  turned  out  to  be  two  women,  one  of  whom 
was  certainly  doing  her  share  of  labour,  for  she  was 
carrying  a  child  and  a  basket  of  goods  on  her  head, 
and  was  also  leading  the  other  woman,  who  was 
blind.     They  were  so  terribly  frightened  that  they 
were  going  to  be  killed  that  they  could  listen  to 
nothing.     On  my  endeavouring  to  explain  to  them 
that  I  would  give  them  beads  as  soon  as  my  caravan 
arrived,  they,  in  fear  for  their  lives,  pulled  off  the 
beads  from  their  own  waists  and  handed  them  to 
me.      "  Take   everything   we    have,"   they   clearly 
intended  to  imply,  "  but  spare  our  lives."     On  the 
caravan  coming  up  we  pitched   camp,  and   I  pre- 
sented the  ladies  with  some  beads,  salt,  and  meat, 

359 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

and  they  in  return  showed  me  where  to  water  our 
animals.  In  spite  of  this,  they  were  still  very  much 
afraid ;  and  when  we  finally  left  them,  we  were  no 
wiser  as  to  who  they  were,  or  anything  else,  than  we 
were  before  we  overtook  them.  They  had,  however, 
saved  us  a  great  deal  of  trouble  with  regard  to  the 
water. 

We  passed  by  many  more  villages,  all  of  which 
had  quite  recently  been  vacated.  We  then  marched 
for  many  miles  over  plains  of  very  coarse  grass, 
and,  to  our  utter  astonishment,  found  ourselves  on 
the  banks  of  an  important  river.  We  had  latterly 
been  marching  through  high  grass,  and  by  sheer  good 
fortune  struck  the  river  just  at  a  point  where  an 
open  space  had  been  cleared.  This  was  evidently 
a  spot  much  frequented  by  the  Shangkallas,  who 
no  doubt  came  to  catch  fish,  for  there  were  many 
sticks  lying  about,  and  also  a  fish-hook,  some  rope, 
a  harpoon,  and  no  end  of  big  fish-bones.  The  water, 
which  was  eight  to  ten  feet  deep  and  quite  thirty 
yards  broad,  flowed  in  a  south-westerly  direction  at 
nearly  three  miles  an  hour.  I  found,  by  observations 
of  the  stars,  that  we  had  struck  this  river  at  lat. 
7°  50',  but  whence  it  came  I  had  no  idea,  and  I 
have  always  regretted  there  was  no  time  at  my 
disposal  to  turn  back  and  examine  its  source. 

My  chief  consideration  at  present  was  how  to 
get  to  the  other  side  of  it.  I  thought,  quite  pos- 
sibly, we  might  find  a  route  along  the  bank,  for 
I  felt  sure  the  river  would  very  shortly  flow  north 
again.  I  therefore  despatched  a  small  party  to 
explore,  and  they  reported  a  very  bad  road  through 

360 


The  Value  of  American   Sheeting 

high  grass,  and  that  the  river  made  several  bends 
before  flowing  northwards.  There  was,  therefore, 
nothing  for  it  but  to  cross.  I  called  up  my  head 
Soudanese  and  asked  him  how  he  proposed  to  get 
the  camels  over  the  river.  "Oh!"  he  said,  "God 
only  knows,  but  I  should  put  cloth  in  all  their  ears 
to  save  them  from  sinking  owing  to  the  water  flowing 
into  them."  It  was  quite  certain  we  could  not  cross 
the  river  without  the  help  of  ropes.  Our  leather 
ropes  were  not  nearly  long  enough,  and,  even  if  they 
were,  they  would  never  have  withstood  the  strain 
that  would  have  been  put  upon  them.  In  our  per- 
plexity I  remembered  our  loads  of  unbleached 
American  sheeting,  which  was  in  strips  some  twenty 
or  thirty  yards  long  and  about  a  yard  broad.  This 
we  twisted  up  to  resemble  ropes,  and  tied  two  or 
three  of  them  together,  according  to  our  require- 
ments. Thus  we  had  as  serviceable  a  rope  as 
anybody  could  wish  to  have,  and  as  much  of  it  as 
we  wanted.  I  used  this  on  many  occasions,  and 
I  consider  it  far  preferable  for  travellers  to  the 
ordinary  rope.  The  cloth  is  lighter  and,  I  believe, 
stronger,  and,  in  addition  to  this,  it  is  a  useful  article 
of  barter  with  some  tribes,  is  unequalled  for  clothing 
one's  followers,  and  is  useful  in  no  end  of  other  ways. 
Whilst  I  was  manufacturing  the  ropes  I  sent  Shahzad 
Mir  and  twenty  men  to  the  opposite  side  of  the 
river  by  means  of  the  canvas  boat.  Their  duty  was 
to  cut  away  the  bank  and  prepare  it  for  landing  the 
animals.  As  soon  as  all  were  ready  I  sent  one  end 
of  the  rope  over  to  Shahzad  Mir  and  then  com- 
menced operations  on  one  of  the  camels.  We  first 

361 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

of  all  tied  up  its  legs  so  that  it  would  be  unable  to 
use  them,  then  fastened  to  the  beast's  head  an  air- 
tight water-can  to  keep  the  head  out  of  water,  and 
lastly  tied  the  other  end  of  Shahzad  Mir's  rope  round 
the  camel's  body.  Unfortunately  for  us  the  banks 
were  steep  and  muddy,  so  we  had  literally  to  lift 
the  camel  up  by  sheer  strength  and  drop  it  into  the 
river.  Until  one  tries  to  lift  a  camel,  no  idea  can 
be  formed  of  its  extraordinary  weight.  As  the  men 
lifted  they  all  shouted,  and  the  powerless  camel 
grunted  in  rage  ;  then,  the  moment  it  reached  the 
water,  the  shouting  began  on  the  opposite  bank  as 
they  hauled  the  animal  across.  During  the  opera- 
tions many  a  long-nosed  alligator  would  show  itself 
above  the  water  to  spy  out  the  most  tasty-looking 
victim.  But  we  were  always  ready  for  them,  for  on 
both  banks  there  were  men,  told  off  with  loaded 
rifles,  who  popped  at  the  intruders  in  the  most 
merciless  manner.  The  noise  we  made  while 
crossing  the  river  must  have  been  heard  a  long  way 
off,  but,  excepting  the  alligators,  nobody,  as  far  as 
I  knew,  came  to  have  a  look  at  us. 

To  expedite  the  work,  I  had  two  ropes.  Whilst 
one  was  pulling  the  camel  across,  the  second  one 
was  being  brought  over  by  two  men  in  the  canvas 
boat ;  one  man  to  let  out  the  rope,  which  was 
fastened  to  the  shore,  and  the  other  to  paddle.  To 
cross  the  river  before  the  rope  was  expended  was 
perhaps  the  toughest  job  of  all,  for  all  the  time  the 
boat  was  being  carried  down  stream.  Now  and 
then  the  Soudanese  who  was  paddling  failed  to 
reach  the  bank,  and  had  to  paddle  back  again,  whilst 

362 


A  Camel's   Humanity 

the  Abyssinian,  who  was  a  very  smart  lad  at  handling 
the  rope,  had  to  haul  it  all  again  and  coil  it  up  in 
readiness  for  casting  out  again  on  the  second 
attempt.  Even  with  such  a  deep,  powerful  stream 
as  this  the  baby  camel  showed  its  affection  for  its 
mother  by  making  many  ineffectual  attempts  to 
jump  into  the  river  and  follow  her,  as  she  was  being 
hauled  across ;  but  in  spite  of  its  affection  we  would 
not  let  it  risk  its  life,  and  pulled  it  across  like  the 
rest.  We  all  looked  upon  the  camels  as  a  reserve 
of  food  when  our  present  stores  had  run  out,  so 
every  effort  was  made  to  land  them  safely.  Some 
of  the  camels  at  first  struggled  to  the  best  of  their 
ability,  but  after  they  found  their  legs  were  effec- 
tually bound,  and  they  got  a  ducking  into  the  bargain 
for  their  exertions,  they  remained  quiet  and  were 
pulled  across  like  great  logs  of  wood.  This  is  the 
only  occasion  on  which  I  have  seen  a  camel's  face 
look  at  all  human,  for  sometimes,  when  their  heads 
went  under  water,  they  rose  again  by  reason  of  the 
water-can,  and  then  opened  their  mouths  and  gasped 
for  breath,  and  wore  an  expression  exactly  like  any 
of  us  would  put  on,  under  the  same  unusual  treat- 
ment— an  expression  that  is  too  well  known  to  be 
described.  To  see  a  man  in  this  predicament  is 
amusing  enough,  but  a  camel  is  even  more  so.  The 
sight  was  so  funny  that  I  inwardly  hoped  that  each 
camel  would  struggle  a  little  and  get  a  ducking,  as 
otherwise  the  passage  bore  some  resemblance  to  a 
funeral. 

After  we  had  successfully  got  all  the  camels  over 
we  took  the  mules  in  hand — a  comparatively  easy 

363 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

job.  The  first  one  was  fastened  to  the  end  of 
a  rope,  and  the  remainder  swam  across  most  man- 
fully. The  mules  were  very  fine  swimmers,  and 
took  to  it  very  willingly,  as  they  seemed  to  know 
quite  well  that  they  had  to  cross,  and  made  no 
bones  about  it.  As  to  the  donkeys,  they  were 
most  obstinate  and  gave  a  good  deal  of  trouble, 
but  their  efforts  at  resistance  were  overmatched  by 
our  numbers.  We  would  fasten  four  or  five  on  to 
the  rope  at  the  same  time,  and  then  pull  them 
across.  The  donkeys  were  not  at  all  strong 
swimmers,  and  never  seemed  to  understand  what 
they  had  to  make  for  on  the  opposite  bank,  so,  after 
once  trying  them  by  themselves,  we  decided  that 
the  risk  was  too  great.  The  sheep  were  also  tied 
to  the  rope  and  hauled  across,  otherwise  they 
would  have  been  a  very  tempting  bait  for  the 
alligators.  After  all  the  animals  had  crossed  with- 
out any  mishap,  we  fastened  two  ropes  round  the 
canvas  boat  and  hauled  it  backwards  and  forwards 
laden  with  the  baggage  and  the  men.  The  boat 
was  quite  equal  to  carrying  three  men  in  addition 
to  some  baggage.  The  two  dogs  waited  patiently 
their  time  to  cross  with  me. 

We  had  started  operations  at  daybreak,  and 
the  afternoon  was  well  advanced  before  the  passage 
of  the  river  was  completed,  though  we  had  not 
rested  a  single  moment  throughout  the  day.  Some 
of  the  boys  were  told  off  to  cook  the  dhura,  and 
brought  it  to  the  men  as  they  stood  waist-deep  in 
the  water  loading  the  boat  or  hauling  at  the  rope. 
Though  we  had  all  crossed  the  river  without  any 

364 


A  Land  of  Beacon  Lights 

mishap,  we  were  landed  in  the  midst  of  high  grass 
—  a  very  unsuitable  spot  for  camping  in.  Luckily, 
there  was  an  open  place  a  few  hundred  yards  from 
the  river-side,  and  there  we  carried  all  our  property 
and  spent  rather  an  uncomfortable  night,  owing  to 
the  attacks  of  ants  and  mosquitoes. 

After  marching  some  miles  further  northwards, 
through  woods  and  coarse  grass,  we  came  to  several 
villages  from  which  all  the  people  had  gone  with 
the  exception  of  one  man,  and  he,  too,  much  to  my 
disappointment,  followed  their  example  before  we 
could  get  within  speaking  distance. 

There  is  a  custom  in  vogue  in  the  country  we 
were  passing  through,  which  was  common  in  old 
England  in  years  gone  by.  It  consists  in  lighting 
bonfires  as  a  signal  to  neighbouring  tribes,  the 
volumes  of  smoke  curling  up  towards  the  skies 
being  seen  from  a  long  way  off,  and  acting  as  a 
warning  to  other  tribes  of  our  approach.  I  am 
quite  sure  this  method  of  communication  was 
thoroughly  understood  amongst  the  tribes  them- 
selves. Whenever  I  saw  smoke  ahead,  I  now 
knew  quite  well  that  we  should  come  to  villages 
and  see  nobody.  It  is  clear,  they  must  have  been 
raided  before  we  came,  or  else  there  would  have 
been  no  need  of  arranging  amongst  themselves  such 
a  system  of  warning. 

As  we  passed  through  the  villages,  I  noticed 
quantities  and  quantities  of  dried  fish  lying  about 
everywhere,  as  well  as  dhura  and  some  excellent 
white  Hour.  As  our  commissariat  was  running 
short,  I  camped  half  a  mile  away  from  the  villages, 

365 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

and  then  returned  with  four  or  five  men  and 
took  away  sufficient  food  to  last  us  for  two  days, 
leaving  in  their  place  their  full  value  in  the  shape 
of  beads,  salt,  and  cloth.  This  was  the  first 
time  we  had  taken  anything  from  a  village,  and 
as  the  strict  way  in  which  we  had  respected  the 
property  of  these  savages  had  produced  none  of 
the  results  I  hoped  it  would,  I  looked  forward  to 
these  villagers  clearly  understanding  that  we  had 
no  desire  of  appropriating  goods,  but  of  buying 
them,  and  that  they  would  use  some  other  signal 
to  warn  the  tribes  ahead  not  to  run  away.  That 
afternoon  we  saw  more  elephants  and  giraffes,  and 
shot  another  giraffe  for  its  meat.  Some  of  the 
men  also  took  advantage  of  the  opportunity  of 
milking  the  animal  as  she  lay  dead.  Milk  from  a 
dead  giraffe,  though  abundant,  does  not  strike  one 
as  altogether  appetizing,  though  on  the  day  in 
question  it  was  pronounced  excellent. 

On  leaving  the  village  where  we  had  made  an 
exchange  we  travelled  for  days  over  an  immense 
plain.  The  going  was  fairly  good,  though  some- 
times the  ground  was  much  cut  up  by  elephants 
tramping  over  it  after  heavy  rain.  There  was 
always  some  uncertainty  about  finding  water,  so  I 
used  to  give  the  direction  myself,  and  place  a  man 
half  a  mile  or  so  to  the  right  and  left  of  me,  and 
one  of  us  would  generally  manage  to  hit  upon 
some  pool  or  other  at  the  time  we  wanted  water. 

One  morning  we  struck  the  right  bank  of  the 
river  we  had  just  crossed,  and  on  the  opposite  shore 
saw  a  large  village — the  most  important  we  had 

366 


An   Alligator  robs  us 

seen.  The  houses  were  of  a  different  shape  to 
those  we  had  come  across  lately  :  they  were  higher 
and  more  pointed  at  the  roof,  and  the  village  itself 
seemed  to  be  surrounded  by  a  mud  wall.  We  had, 
doubtless,  reached  the  boundaries  of  another  tribe, 
though  even  with  the  aid  of  my  glasses  I  could  see 
nobody  living  there.  Our  way  lay  along  the  banks 
of  the  river,  and  we  had  to  cross  several  nasty 
little  streams  running  into  it.  As,  generally  speak- 
ing, these  were  about  thirty  yards  broad,  and  in 
some  parts  quite  six  feet  deep,  all  this  meant  a 
great  deal  of  work,  for  the  animals,  except  the 
camels,  had  to  be  unloaded,  and  the  goods  carried 
across  on  men's  heads  or  in  the  canvas  boat.  In 
all  these  water-courses  we  used  to  spear  a  good 
many  fish  several  pounds  in  weight  and  well  worth 
eating.  There  were  also  plenty  of  alligators.  On 
one  occasion,  whilst  crossing  a  stream  of  this  de- 
scription by  moonlight,  one  of  these  brutes  caught 
hold  of  one  of  the  sheep,  and  in  a  second  had  pulled 
it  under  water.  I  was  very  thankful  that  none  of 
us  had  been  snapped  up.  We  must  have  offered 
no  end  of  chances,  for  we  were  standing  up  to  our 
knees  in  the  water  for  an  hour  or  two,  and,  at  the 
time  when  the  sheep  was  taken,  we  were  actually 
driving  them  across,  and  not  more  than  a  couple  of 
yards  from  the  one  that  was  seized.  Curiously 
enough,  this  was  the  only  animal  that  was  taken 
by  an  alligator,  yet  we  crossed  many  rivers  and 
streams  infested  by  them.  My  own  opinion  is  that 
in  entering  water  overrun  with  alligators  the 
chances  are  highly  in  favour  of  coming  out  again  in 

367 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

safety.     The  same  rule,  I   should  imagine,  applies 
to  sharks. 

We  travelled  for  many  miles  over  the  plains,  cross- 
ing several  other  water-courses.     There  was  not  a 
single  tree  in  sight,  and  so  flat  was  the  land  that,  as 
far  as  the  eye  could  see,  there  was  nothing  but  green 
grass  ;  it  seemed  as  though  we  were  in  the  midst  of 
a  green  ocean.       One  morning  we  hailed  on  the 
horizon — with    as    much    joy   as   a   mariner  would 
welcome  the  mast  of  a  ship  at  sea — a  distant  tree, 
and,  as  we  journeyed  towards  it,  we  found  a  small 
forest.      Nothing  could  have  suited  us  better,  for 
the  camels  were  sorely  in  need  of  food  more  adapted 
to   their   liking  than  green  grass.     Whilst  waiting 
under  a  fine  tree  for  the  caravan,  I  was  attacked  by 
a  swarm  of  bees,  and  had  to  run  at  full  speed  for  a 
long  way  before  I  could  rid  myself  of  their  stings. 
I  was,  however,  duly  recompensed  for  my  punish- 
ment, as  my  Soudanese  revenged  the  onslaught  by 
taking  all  the  honey  and  presenting  me  with  what  I 
required — a  most  welcome  gift,  when  one  is  reduced 
to  chupatties  pure  and  simple.     After  leaving  the 
forest,  we  followed  a  track  that  ran  along  the  bank 
of  the  river,  and  took  us  through  and  close  to  several 
villages,  all  of  which  had  evidently  been  abandoned 
for  a  long  time.     Judging  from  the  high  grass  that 
grew  around  all  the  tukls,  I  should  say  that  nobody 
had  lived  in  them  for  six  or  eight  months.     During 
this  period  we  were  sometimes  visited  by  terrific 
storms,    but    I    think    we   all    prefered    them    to 
mosquitoes,  who  disappeared  whilst  the  storm  lasted. 


368 


CHAPTER   XXXI 

WITH    THE    SIRDAR 

A  formidable  river — We  lose  some  animals — A  r  asty  swamp — Out- 
break of  fever — The  Keir  river — Sudd — Struggles  with  floating 
islands — We  reach  and  cross  the  Sobat — The  rivers — The  first 
sign  of  civilization — Nasser— Egyptian,  and  not  French  ! — A 
joyous  welcome — Departure  for  Sobat  Fort — Dinkas — The  gun- 
boat Fateh — An  Anglo- Egyptian  welcome — Fashoda — Break  up 
of  the  caravan — Arrival  at  Omdurman — Baggage  animals  sold  by 
auction — Farewells — Cairo. 

ONE  day  we  were  pulled  up  short  by  a  formidable 
river,  which  is  probably  that  marked  on  maps  as  the 
Upeno.  It  apparently  flowed  in  westwards  from  the 
Abyssinian  hills.  Whilst  searching  the  banks  for 
a  suitable  place  to  cross,  I  found  another  stream 
flowing  into  the  river  from  a  southern  direction 
which  somewhat  restricted  the  limits  of  our  choice 
of  crossing.  The  river  we  thus  had  to  cross  was 
quite  forty  yards  broad,  very  deep,  but  luckily  with 
a  very  sluggish  current.  We  were  not  quite  so  for- 
tunate in  our  passage  this  time,  for  three  of  the 
donkeys  were  drowned  (a  disaster  caused  entirely 
by  their  own  struggles),  and  four  of  the  sheep  shared 
a  similar  fate.  On  leaving  the  banks  of  this  second 
river  we  came  to  another  abandoned  village,  and 
then  followed  a  track  that  brought  us  into  a  swamp. 

369  2  B 


'Twixt   Sirdar  and   Menelik 

As  the  track  had  led  us  into  it,  I  concluded  it  would 
take  us  out  again.     On,  on  we  floundered,  higher 
and  higher  rose  the  water,  until,  by  the  time  the  sun 
was  setting,  frogs  were  croaking,   mosquitoes  were 
swarming,  and  there  was  a  dampness  and  chilliness 
in  the  air  that  went  to  our  very  bones.     To  have 
spent  the  night  in  such   a  quagmire  would  have 
meant  a  stepping-stone  to  the  graveyard.      I  hurried 
on    ahead  as  fast  as   the  weeds   and  water  would 
allow  me,  hoping  we  had  already  reached  the  worst 
point  of  the  swamp  ;  but  my  expectations  were  cut 
short,  for  the  water  had  soon  risen  above  my  waist, 
and  I  signalled  back  to   the  shivering  caravan  to 
retrace   their    steps.      We    floundered   back   again 
through  the  tall,  wet  grass — in  spite  of  our  exertions 
there  was    no   warmth  in  such    a  place    as  this,— 
and  it  was  not  until  long  after  dark  that  we  again 
trod   on  firm   soil.      Though  we  were  actually  out 
of  the  water  and  damp  grass,  we  were  badly  oft" 
that  night.     We  could  get  scarcely  any  wood  for 
our  fires,  and  the  mosquitoes  were  altogether  beyond 
description.      Several  of  the  men  were   overcome 
with    fever    and    pains    in    the    back    and    head. 
All  of  them    I   doctored    with  hot   tea   and    fever 
medicines.     It  was  very  bad  luck  having  my  men 
knocked    over  by  fever  so  near  the  end  of   their 
journey,  seeing   that  they  had  been   marching  for 
months  without  one  being  really  sick. 

As  soon  as  daylight  came  we  circumvented  the 
swamp  that  had  so  baffled  us,  and,  with  only  one 
stream  to  cross,  reached  a  large  abandoned  village 
on  the  banks  of  the  river.  We  were  evidently 


Another  Camel   Dinner 

getting  closer  to  people,  for  several  Shangkallas 
had  spent  the  night  in  one  of  the  tukls  of  the  village. 
We  were  lucky  in  finding  such  a  good  place  for  a 
midday  halt,  as  the  men  were  able  to  get  perfect 
shelter  from  the  sun  inside  the  tukls,  and  had  plenty 
of  wood  over  which  to  cook  the  meat  of  another 


NATIVE  BOATS  ON  THE  LOWER  NILE. 


camel.  The  more  camels  we  ate  the  less  we  should 
have  to  pull  across  the  next  river.  Not  far  from 
this  village  was  a  second  village  built  at  the  junction 
of  another  river  flowing  from  the  east  into  the  stream 
on  whose  banks  we  were  encamped.  This  new 
river  is  called,  I  believe,  the  Keir  or  Baro,  and,  at 
the  time  we  saw  it,  the  water  was  forty  or  fifty  yards 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

broad,  and  must  have  been  flowing  at  five  or  six 
miles  an  hour.  No  doubt  it  had  recently  been 
swollen  by  the  commencement  of  the  Abyssinian 
rains.  I  should  have  liked  to  cross  this  river  and 
continue  our  northerly  course,  but,  had  we  done  so, 
we  must  have  lost  most,  if  not  all,  of  our  transport. 

We  had  now  reached  the  point  where  the  Keir 
or  Baro  and  the  two  Ruzis  effected  a  junction  with 
the  river  we  had  crossed  at  lat.  7°  50'.  These  com- 
bined streams,  known  as  the  Sobat,  now -flowed  in 
a  north-westerly  direction  to  a  junction  with  the 
White  Nile.  Had  we  crossed  the  Keir,  we  should 
have  either  followed  the  north  or  right  bank  of  the 
Sobat  to  the  White  Nile,  or  else  travelled  north 
and  struck  the  big  river  further  north — probably 
below  Fashoda.  As  it  was,  we  crossed  the  com- 
bined rivers,  and  followed  the  left  or  south  bank  of 
the  Sobat.  Our  wisest  plan  was  to  recross  our  own 
familiar  river  and  travel  north  along  the  left  or 
opposite  bank.  Though  this  river  was  almost  the 
same  breadth  as  the  Keir,  the  current  was  nothing 
like  so  fast.  Its  volume  had  increased  considerably 
owing  to  the  eastern  and  southern  rains,  and  I  was 
most  anxious  to  lose  no  time  for  fear  we  ourselves 
should  be  delayed  by  weeks  of  wet  weather. 
Enormous  pieces  of  land  were  being  borne  away  on 
the  surface  of  the  water,  and,  whenever  a  man  mis- 
behaved himself,  I  used  to  say  that  I  should  put 
him  on  one  of  these  islands  with  a  leg  of  camel 
meat  and  send  him  off  to  Fashoda. 

The   afternoon    was    well    advanced    when    we 
began  to  get  our  animals  and  baggage  across  the 

372 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

river,  and  as  we  worked  on  through  the  evening 
aided  by  the  light  of  the  moon,  the  water  every 
moment  rose  higher  and  higher,  the  current  became 
swifter,  and  the  alligators  larger  and  bolder,  requir- 
ing a  deal  of  attention  from  the  rifles,  while  huge 
islands  came  sailing  along  one  after  another  in 
quick  succession.  These  were  our  greatest  dread, 
for  sometimes  one  of  them  would  get  caught  up  in 
our  long  rope  of  cloth  stretching  across  the  river, 
then  others  would  sail  against  it,  and  the  strain  on 
our  rope  became  enormous.  The  more  islands  that 
floated  against  it,  the  more  men  had  to  lay  hold  of 
each  end  of  the  rope ;  and  we  found  it  most  ex- 
hausting work,  resembling  a  long  tug-of-war.  It 
generally  happened  that,  just  when  we  were  begin- 
ning to  feel  we  could  withstand  the  strain  no  longer, 
the  rope  would  slip  over  the  mass  of  land,  and, 
without  losing  a  moment,  we  would  fix  on  another 
camel  and  try  and  pull  it  over  before  another  island 
was  upon  us.  Each  animal  meant  a  very  long  pull, 
for  the  current  carried  them  a  long  way  down- 
stream. The  boat-loads  of  baggage  were,  somehow 
or  other,  carried  the  furthest,  and  before  the  boat 
could  get  from  one  bank  to  the  other,  it  had  to  make 
quite  a  voyage.  Everybody  worked  well.  Even 
those  who  were  down  with  fever  did  their  share, 
for  they  took  care  of  the  baggage  animals  on  the 
banks,  and  prevented  them  from  straying.  We 
were  all  determined  to  cross  that  night,  as,  for  all 
we  knew,  the  river,  judging  from  its  behaviour, 
would  be  double  its  size  by  the  morning.  Consider- 
ing the  difficulties  we  had  to  strive  against,  we  were 

374 


Alas  !    Poor  Donkeys 

lucky  in  losing  only  four  donkeys.  Amongst  these 
four  dead  bodies  we  were  all  very  sorry  to  find  our 
only  two  original  donkeys  from  Adis  Ababa.  Poor 
little  chaps !  they  died  during  the  night,  owing  to 
the  vast  amount  of  water  they  had  swallowed  on 
their  passage.  Latterly  they  had  been  carrying  no 


BRINGING    IN    WOOD   BY  BOAT. 


load  at  all,  and  were  great  favourites  with  every- 
body, and  always  went  by  the  name  of  "  Adis 
Ababa,"  whereas  the  other  donkeys  went  by  the 
name  of  "  Sigrya  " — a  Turkana  word.  Before  the 
last  boat- load  of  baggage  had  crossed  the  river  it 
was  close  on  midnight.  We  were  all  thoroughly 
tired  out,  and,  in  spite  of  the  countless  mosquitoes, 

375 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

lay  down,  as  we  were,  in  the  tall,  damp  grass  on  the 
very  edge  of  the  river  banks,  and  slept  soundly  till 
sunrise  the  following  morning. 

After  crossing  the  high  grass,  we  hit  off  a  track 
which  eventually  brought  us  to  the  banks  of  the 
river  again,  just  opposite  some  villages  of  the  Nuer 
tribe,  on  the  other  side  of  the  water.  A  number 
of  the  people  ran  away,  whilst  others,  possessed  of 
more  confidence,  stood  their  ground,  and,  in  reply 
to  my  constant  shouting,  pointed  out  with  their 
spears  the  direction  of  Fashoda,  and  gave  me  to 
understand  that  our  best  route  lay  further  away 
from  the  river.  Their  instructions  were  self-evident, 
as,  on  account  of  the  tall,  thickly  growing  reeds,  it 
would  have  been  very  hard  work  to  have  proceeded 
along  the  banks  ;  yet,  on  endeavouring  to  discover 
the  track  they  spoke  of  away  from  the  river,  we 
contrived  to  run  into  the  middle  of  swamps  again. 
It  would  have  been  useless  to  have  blundered  on 
with  the  whole  caravan,  so  we  halted  on  a  few  feet 
of  sound  soil,  and,  having  unloaded  the  animals, 
instituted  a  thorough  exploration  of  the  country  for 
some  miles  round.  I  fancy  the  Nuers  must  have 
caught  sight  from  the  other  banks  of  the  river  of 
our  little  parties  shooting  out  in  every  direction,  and 
must  have  certainly  been  filled  with  compassion 
when  they  saw  the  hopeless  way  in  which  each 
separate  group  became  bogged,  for,  as  we  were 
debating  on  what  course  to  follow,  whether  to  cross 
the  river  to  the  northern  bank  or  retrace  our  steps, 
I  saw  about  a  dozen  of  the  Nuers  coming  towards 
us.  They  had  crossed  the  river  from  their  villages 

376 


We  conciliate  the  Nuers 

in  dug-outs.  I  was  determined  that  these  fellows, 
whether  filled  with  curiosity  or  anxiety  to  aid  us, 
should,  at  any  rate,  have  no  cause  to  fear  us.  So, 
telling  all  my  men  to  remain  where  they  were,  I 
went  out  alone  unarmed  to  meet  them,  and  bade 
them  welcome  to  my  camp.  They  were  very  soon 
quite  at  home,  sitting  on  the  ground  amongst  my 
own  men.  They  became  merry  and  talkative ; 
many  of  them  were  finely  made  men,  with  pleasant 
faces  and  fuzzy  red  hair.  They  each  carried  a 
couple  of  spears  as  well  as  a  round-knobbed  club. 
Many  more  came  strolling  into  our  camp  on  seeing 
what  comfortable  quarters  their  brethren  were  in. 

This  was  all  very  well,  but  we  were  making  no 
headway  in  discovering  a  route  that  would  avoid 
the  swamps,  though  we  were,  even  now,  in  a  some- 
what moist  locality.  I  was  well  aware  of  our  posi- 
tion on  the  chart.  I  had  taken  my  latitude,  and 
knew  exactly  how  far  north  we  had  journeyed. 
This  knowledge,  added  to  that  derived  from  the 
work  of  the  plane-table,  so  carefully  carried  out  by 
Shahzad  Mir,  convinced  me  that  we  were  close  to  a 
post  called  Nasser,  situated  on  the  banks  of  the 
river  we  were  on — namely,  the  Sobat.  Before  start- 
ing on  our  travels,  I  had  been  given  to  understand 
that  if  we  ever  managed  to  reach  Nasser,  we  should 
find  the  French  in  possession  there.  French  or 
English,  or  any  other  nationality,  it  mattered  little 
in  our  present  condition.  We  were  in  need  of  food ; 
we  had  found  but  little  to  s.hoot  of  late,  and  had 
been  feeding  on  our  baggage-camels.  The  swamps, 
too,  and  heavy  work  entailed  in  crossing  so  much 

377 


L 


My   Triumph   over   Shyness 

water,  was  telling  on  several  of  my  men.  They  had 
done  some  very  hard  work,  and  I  felt  anxious  to 
get  them  better  food  and  drier  beds  at  night.  Our 
first  consideration  was  to  get  clear  of  the  swamps ; 
and  our  "  kismet "  turned  out  to  be  wonderfully 
lucky.  The  Nuers  who  were  in  our  camp  knew 
both  Nasser  and  Fashoda,  and  were  evidently 
proud  of  having  actually  seen  the  "  babur  "  (steam- 
boat). After  a  little,  they  agreed  to  show  me  the 
best  way  out  of  the  swamps,  and  to  conduct  me  to 
Nasser.  In  return  for  their  help  I  gave  them  some 
salt,  blue  beads,  and  our  remaining  goat.  The 
Nuers  and  the  Nyuaks,  who  live  further  west,  have 
always  been  notorious  for  their  intense  shyness  and 
anxiety  to  avoid  all  dealings  with  any  Europeans 
who  have  come  across  them.  It  was,  therefore, 
very  remarkable,  and  quite  contrary  to  our  expecta- 
tions, that  these  Nuers  should,  of  their  own  accord, 
cross  a  big  and  fast-flowing  river  like  the  Sobat,  and 
come  to  see  me  in  my  own  camp. 

These  people  were  especially  welcome,  and 
presented  a  very  strange  appearance,  for  one  or 
two  of  them  actually  wore  a  piece  of  cloth.  For 
many  a  day  we  had  met  nothing  but  tribes  abso- 
lutely naked.  The  very  fact  that  they  freely  entered 
our  camp,  and  that  some  of  them  possessed  cloth, 
at  once  made  me  reflect  that  the  feelers  of  civiliza- 
tion had  already  touched  them.  It  spoke  wonders 
for  the  centre  of  the  administration — the  outskirts  of 
which,  we  had  just  entered — for  only  a  few  months 
after  the  Anglo-Egyptian  flags  had  replaced  the 
Mahdi's  standard  at  Khartum,  the  very  beginning 

379 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

of  more  beneficial  results  to  follow  was  already 
being  experienced  and  welcomed  at  a  distance  of 
six  to  seven  hundred  miles.  More  than  six  months 
ago  we  had  set  forth  from  the  capital  of  Abyssinia ; 
we  had  witnessed  the  state  of  those  tribes  who  were 
completely  subject  to  the  Ethiopian  king,  and  we 
had  travelled  on  to  the  outskirts  of  Menelik's 
domains,  and  seen  tribes  who  had  merely  been 
touched  by  his  power  and  influence.  Thence  we 
had  travelled  for  months  through  an  unknown  land, 
inhabited  by  simple,  naked  savages,  lying  between 
King  Menelik's  country  and  the  Sirdar's  rule. 
To-day  we  had  reached  the  first  tribe  who  had  felt 
the  influence  of  the  latter.  I  could  not  help  com- 
paring the  fates  of  these  outlying  tribes  who  had 
been  touched  by  the  administrative  might  of  either 
ruler,  and  wondered  what  would  eventually  be  the 
fate  of  the  country  and  tribes  situated  'twixt  Sirdar 
and  Menelik. 

The  good  Nuers  explained  to  me  there  were  two 
ways  out  of  the  swamp :  one  by  retracing  our  steps 
and  working  a  long  way  round,  the  other — a  much 
shorter  one — by  crossing  a  little  river.  I  chose 
the  latter  route,  and  before  very  long  we  were  once 
more  in  full  swing,  with  our  canvas  boat  hauling, 
driving  and  pulling.  At  sunset  our  guide  took  us 
to  a  small  wood,  on  some  really  dry  land,  and 
cheered  us  all  up  by  explaining  that  on  the  morrow 
we  should  reach  Nasser.  Rain  fell  heavily  as  we 
commenced  loading  up  at  daybreak,  yet  we  cared 
little  for  it  in  the  excitement  of  meeting  Europeans 
again.  Owing  to  the  saturated  state  of  the  ground 

380 


We  come  in   Sight  of  Nasser 

our  progress  was  slow,  and  every  mile  became  more 
arduous,  for  throughout  the  morning  the  rain  never 
ceased. 

About  noon  we  caught  our  first  glimpse  of 
Nasser ;  we  could  just  distinguish  a  number  of 
white  tents  and  a  single  delaib  palm.  At  this 
juncture  our  Nuer  guide  asked  if  he  might  return — a 
request  I  readily  agreed  to,  for  now  it  was  quite 
plain  sailing.  He  was  delighted,  on  leaving  us,  by 
receiving  a  few  yards  of  American  unbleached 
calico.  As  soon  as  we  had  arrived  within  half  a 
mile  of  the  fort,  I  considered  it  advisable  to  halt 
and  camp,  for  we  were  all  by  this  time  very  hungry, 
and  were  looking  forward  to  the  slaughter  of 
another  camel ;  and  I  did  not  care  to  go  straight  up 
to  the  French  post  in  a  dripping  condition  and  with 
an  empty  stomach.  So  we  set  about  making  our 
zareba — pitching  tents  and  all  the  other  customary 
duties.  Looking  through  my  glasses,  I  could  see 
men  in  white  running  about  on  the  mud  ramparts 
and  spying  at  us  through  a  telescope.  We  had 
evidently  attracted  the  attention  of  the  sentries  on 
watch,  and  had  caused  no  end  of  consternation.  I 
felt  quite  sure  that  before  very  long  they  would  be 
sending  out  parties  to  discover  who  we  were  and 
what  we  wanted.  This  proved  to  be  the  case,  for 
I  was  waiting  in  my  tent  for  breakfast  when  several 
of  my  men  rushed  up  to  me,  rifles  in  hand,  saying 
there  were  a  number  of  soldiers  coming  towards  us 
from  the  fort.  "Never  mind,"  I  said,  "put  down 
your  rifles  and  let  them  come.  I've  no  intention  of 
fighting  the  French.  You  will  probably  find  they 

381 


British   instead   of  French  ! 

will  help  us,  and  give  us  something  to  eat."     These 
words  scarcely  seemed  to  appease   the  feelings  of 
my  men,  who  continued  to  warn  me  of  their  closer 
approach,  till  at  length  I   heard  strange  voices  out- 
side the  zareba,  and,  stepping  from  my  tent,  saw,  to 
my  utter  astonishment,  my  own  men  shaking  hands 
with  the  soldiers  of  Nasser,  who  showed  themselves 
to  be   Egyptians.      It  was  still  more  gratifying  to 
see  behind  this  advanced  guard  the  commander  of 
the  fort  himself  striding  towards  me  with  a  smiling 
countenance,   and  in   a    moment  afterwards    I  was 
receiving  a    hearty   shake    of  the    hand,  not    from 
a    Frenchman,   but    from    a    Britisher — Lieutenant 
MacEwen.     MacEwen,  on  his  side,  had  seen,  with 
no    small    wonderment,    our    caravan.       He    had 
noticed  the  composition  of  our  transport,  and  had 
concluded    we    must   be   a    force    of    Abyssinians. 
Quite  recently  the  Abyssinians  had  penetrated  thus 
far,  and,  in  his  eyes,  we  might  have  been  the  fore- 
runner of  a  large  body  of  troops  behind.     We  both 
had  puzzled  our  heads  and  acted  cautiously  without 
any   cause   for    it.     At  the  time    of  my  approach 
there  was  no  flag  hoisted  at  the  fort ;  but  1,  in  my 
turn,  might  have  waved  my  Union  Jack.     Yet,  had 
I  done  so,  and  had  the  French  been  in  occupation, 
they  might  have  construed  my  motive  in  a  wrong 
light.      As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  French,    I   think, 
only  seven  months  previously,  were  there  ;  but  after 
the  fall  of  the  Dervish  power,  Nasser,  like  many 
other  Egyptian  posts,  was  reoccupied  by  the  Anglo- 
Egyptian  forces. 

Nasser    fort     is     merely    composed    of    mud 
383 


'Tvvixt   Sirdar  and   Menelik 

strengthened  by  a  couple  of  Krupp  guns,  formerly 
the  property  of  the  Khalifa,  and  held  by  a  hundred 
and    sixty  Egyptian   soldiers    under    the  command 
of   this   single    British    officer.     Nasser  cannot    at 
present  be  recommended  as  a  health  resort.     The 
little   place,    without   any    shelter    excepting    from 
tents,    is  flanked  on    one  side  by  the  river   Sobat 
and  on  the  others  by  swamps.     Mosquitoes,  at  sun- 
set, make  themselves  distinctly  felt.     At  the  time 
of  my  visit  a  great   number  of  the  soldiers  were 
down  with  fever — in  fact,  there  were  only  fifty  who 
were   well   enough  to  appear  on  parade.     Yet,  in 
spite  of  this,  and  of  their  being  six  hundred  miles 
away  from  Khartum,  the  centre  of  administration, 
the  Britisher  was  healthy,  contented,  and  cheerful. 
He  had  nothing  to  complain  of;  he  was  carefully 
and  tactfully  carrying  out  his  duties  by  bringing  an 
encouraging  influence  to  bear  over  the  surrounding 
tribes,   and  helping,  by  his  share,  to  promote  and 
build   up    the   great  aims  of  the  governor  of  the 
Egyptian  provinces.     Of  course,   Nasser  is  to-day 
in  its  infancy — but  a  promising  one ;  and  there  is 
every  reason  to  expect  that,  under  equally  tactful 
management,    the    country    will    be    drained,    the 
tribesmen   will  be  eager  to  cultivate,  and  that  the 
forests  will  help  to  open  up  the  land. 

On  entering  the  fort,  I  felt  we  were  really  back 
in  civilization,  so  overpowering  is  the  feeling  of 
meeting  a  European  after  endless  arrays  of  naked, 
unsophisticated  savages.  Yet,  in  spite  of  the 
pleasure  of  meeting  and  feeding  with  one  of  my 
own  countrymen,  and  of  chatting  over  the  latest 

384 


We  get  a  River   Lift 

news  he  could  give  me,  I  deemed  it  advisable  to 
continue  my  march  down  stream  the  next  morn- 
ing, for  I  was  afraid  that  if  we  rested  many  of  my 
men  would  be  down  with  fever.  As  it  happened, 
every  man  had  been  well  enough  to  walk  into 
Nasser. 


A   SOUDANESE   REGIMENT. 


Nasser  is  a  hundred  and  eighty  miles  by  river 
to  the  next  Anglo- Egyptian  post,  Sobat,  at  the 
junction  of  the  Sobat  and  White  Nile.  Fortu- 
nately, Mac E wen  was  able  to  provide  us  with  a 
small  native  sailing-boat  called  a  "  filuka."  We 
therefore  arranged  to  put  into  it  our  baggage  and 
four  or  five  men  who  had  been  weakened  by 

385  2  c 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 


fever.  And  whilst  the  boat  floated  down  stream, 
or  was  rowed  by  a  party  of  Egyptian  soldiers,  we 
marched  along  the  banks  with  all  our  baggage 
animals,  hailing  the  boat  at  breakfast-time  and  at 
nightfall.  He  was  also  able  to  supply  us  with 
plenty  of  flour,  rice,  and  ghi ;  thus,  for  the  remainder 


THE   NILE. 


of  our  journey,  we  all  fared  sumptuously.  For  the 
first  two  days  from  Nasser  we  had  several  marshes 
to  encounter,  and  a  stream  seven  feet  deep.  Our 
difficulties,  however,  were  comparatively  small, 
owing  to  the  diminution  in  our  baggage.  We  soon 
reached  some  Nuer  and  Nyuak  villages,  and  the 
men  ran  forward  to  salute  us  by  crying  out,  "  Ababa! " 

386 


An   Effusive  Soudanese 

and  holding  forth  a  hand  to  be  shaken.  They  also 
showed  their  friendly  disposition  by  conducting  us 
from  village  to  village,  receiving  a  piece  of  cloth  in 
return  for  their  services.  One  evening  we  came  to 
a  village  of  only  four  houses,  close  to  the  river  bank. 
Curiously  enough,  they  were  empty,  and,  as  we  had 
undergone  more  wet  work  in  crossing  another 
stream,  I  decided  to  halt  there  to  rest  the  men  for 
half  a  day,  and  await  the  arrival  of  our  boat.  The 
next  morning  we  met  a  man  wearing  a  blue  shirt. 
This  was  somewhat  strange,  as,  excepting  a  few  who 
had  contrived  to  possess  a  piece  of  white  cloth, 
everybody,  including  many  of  the  women,  ran  about 
stark  naked.  This  blue-clad  individual  turned  out 
to  be  a  Soudanese,  and,  when  a  boy,  had  been 
captured  by  the  dervishes.  He  rushed  up,  seized 
my  hand,  and  began  to  implant  kisses  thereon, 
saying  he  had  heard  of  my  coming,  and  had 
journeyed  a  long  way  from  his  village  to  greet  me. 

Farey — for  that  was  the  man's  name — travelled 
with  us  for  a  few  days,  and,  amongst  other  interest- 
ing items  of  news,  informed  me  that  the  Khalifa  in- 
tended returning  later  on  for  the  execution  of  further 
mischief.  The  sheikhs  of  several  of  the  villages 
would  frequently  meet  us  on  the  road,  and  bring 
me  a  sheep  as  a  present.  These  gifts  I  refused  to 
accept,  explaining  to  them  that  at  the  same  time  I 
was  quite  prepared  to  buy,  and  they  were  generally 
willing  to  let  them  go  for  a  piece  of  cloth.  With- 
out exception  these  headmen  were  kind-hearted 
fellows,  always  ready  to  help  me;  they  would 
march  with  me  throughout  the  whole  day,  and  at 

'  387 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

night-time  would  sleep  inside  my  zareba,  and  enjoy 
a  supper  of  rice  and  ghi,  which  we  could  now  easily 
afford.  They  would  tell  me  how  they  were  just 
beginning  to  learn  what  we  were  like,  and  to  know 
how  ready  we  always  were  to  pay  for  what  we  had. 
They  also  gave  me  to  understand  that  they  would 
cultivate  more  than  they  had  done  recently,  were 
they  only  sure  of  the  non-interference  of  the 
dervishes.  I  always  told  them  that  as  long  as 
the  Ingliz  were  anywhere  near  them  they  had 
nothing  to  fear  on  that  score. 

Throughout  the  country  we  now  traversed  we 
saw  herds  of  hartebeest  and  waterbuck,  and  guinea- 
fowl,  quail,  partridges,  and  the  golden-crested  crane. 
There  are  also  giraffes,  hippos,  and  elephants.  On 
the  last  day  of  June  we  were  visited  by  the  head 
man  of  the  Dinka  tribe  ;  he  brought  us  fowl  and 
cow's  milk  for  sale,  or  rather  for  presentation,  and 
was  delighted  at  receiving  a  few  white  beads,  the 
price  of  each  fowl  It  is  always  a  puzzle  to  know 
what  class  of  bead  will  be  appreciated.  One  tribe 
will  go  in  ecstasies  over  some  that  another  tribe  will 
turn  up  their  noses  at.  The  Dinka  chief  showed 
me  his  men  fishing  in  a  shallow  of  the  river.  These 
sportsmen  were  standing  nearly  waist  deep  in  the 
water,  armed  with  bent  sticks  about  eight  feet  long. 
One  of  the  ends  had  a  spike  attached  to  it,  and  was 
joined  to  the  other  end  by  a  string.  The  Dinka 
appeared  to  be  better  off  than  the  Nuers  and 
Nyuaks,  for  they  had  more  ground  under  cultivation, 
and  possessed  many  more  sheep,  cattle,  and  fowl. 
They,  however,  did  not  strike  me  as  being  quite 


A  Sheikh  who  knew  Gordon 

such  fine  men  ;  they  too  are  fond  of  cloth,  though 
they  do  not  wear  it.  On  reaching  the  land  of  the 
Dinkas  we  found  wood,  which  had  been  plentiful, 
grown,  somewhat  scarce.  The  sheikhs,  however, 
sent  us  a  supply  from  the  villages.  One  of  these 
governors  was  exceptionally  kind.  He  came  from 


THE  BRITISH   RESIDENT'S   HOUSE  AT  ATBARA 

the  village  of  Rouay,  and  had  previously  lived  with 
Gordon  in  Khartum. 

On  the  2nd  of  July  we  reached  the  first 
village  of  the  Shilluks,  called,  I  think,  Najok,  where 
the  sheikh  (by  name  Munyan)  came  forth  to  meet 
me  and  took  me  unawares  by  kissing  my  hand.  He 
said  he  had  heard  an  Ingliz  was  on  the  road  and 

389 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and  Menelik 

had  been  awaiting  my  arrival  for  days.  He  brought 
me  sheep,  milk,  fowl,  and  beer.  There  was  no 
difficulty  in  talking  with  the  people  of  these  districts, 
for  there  were  always  individuals  on  both  sides  who 
spoke  Arabic.  Munyan  talked  a  deal  about  the 
dervishes,  and  was  evidently  in  fear  they  might  re- 
appear one  day. 

The  next  morning  we  commenced  our  early 
march  through  bush  country  about  half  a  mile  from 
the  banks  of  the  river,  when  I  was  astonished  to 
hear  the  noise  of  a  steamboat  or  babur.  I  made  all 
haste  to  the  water's  edge,  and,  on  catching  sight  of 
the  boat,  called  out  to  the  owners  to  stop,  and  that  I 
was  an  Englishman.  Doctor  Bray,  who  was  on 
board,  was  somewhat  astonished  at  finding  one  of 
his  countrymen  suddenly  popping  up  in  the  middle 
of  Africa  before  sunrise,  amongst  the  reeds  and  bush 
of  the  river's  bank.  As  he  informed  me  we  should 
find  another  boat  at  anchor  lower  down  stream,  I 
refused  every  offer  of  hospitality,  especially  as  I 
knew  the  supplies  on  board  were  being  taken  to  the 
remote  defenders  of  Nasser.  These  steamers  from 
Khartum  pay  periodical  visits  to  the  posts  up  stream, 
such  as  Fashoda,  Sobat,  and  Nasser,  bringing  sup- 
plies, stores,  papers,  post,  and  so  forth.  They  are  by 
way  of  turning  up  every  three  weeks,  but  sometimes 
have  to  be  utilized  for  more  pressing  duties,  when 
the  three  weeks'  separation  from  the  civilized  world 
is  prolonged  to  double  the  length  of  time.  Soon 
after  parting  from  Doctor  Bray,  we  encountered  our 
last  crossing  in  the  form  of  a  "  khor  "  of  the  river 
called  the  Khor  Fillus.  Our  animals,  by  this  time, 

39° 


The   Last  of  the   Ruzi 

had  grown  so  accustomed  to  water  that  they  had 
almost  become  amphibious,  and  consequently  gave 
us  no  trouble  whatever.  The  novel  sight  attracted 
to  the  spot  a  considerable  number  of  natives  who 
watched  with  keen  curiosity  our  proceedings.  Some 
of  them  crossed  over  from  the  opposite  villages  in 
their  dug-outs. 

A  little  lower  down  stream  we  came  across  the 
gunboat  H.H.S.  Fateh  at  anchor,  commanded  by 
Captain  Escombe,  R.N.  His  men  were  busily 
engaged  on  shore  cutting  a  supply  of  wood — a 
substitute  for  coal.  A  few  hours  later  we  caught 
sight  of  the  Anglo- Egyptian  post  of  Sobat.  As  we 
drew  near,  the  joint  flags  were  hoisted  to  welcome 
us,  whilst  the  officer  in  command,  a  fine  old  Turk, 
buckled  on  his  sword  and  walked  out  to  meet  us. 
He  and  his  staff  had  made  every  preparation  for 
our  comfort.  The  old  Turk,  in  spite  of  his  isolation, 
was  proud  of  his  command.  At  Sobat  we  saw  the 
last  of  our  river,  the  Ruzi,  whose  source  we  had 
endeavoured  to  follow  for  months.  Though  it  had 
joined  with  other  rivers  some  180  miles  back 
to  form  this  single  stream  the  Sobat,  we  still  had  a 
feeling  of  attachment  for  it,  engendered  by  the  fact 
that  a  portion  of  this  water  had  at  times  supplied  us 
with  a  necessity  of  life  and  at  others  placed  difficulties 
in  our  path  which  had  always  given  us  a  zest  to  over- 
come. Here  at  last  the  two  Ruzis  flowed  into  the 
mighty  waters  of  the  Nile.  Their  present  course 
was  changed,  they  were  engulfed,  carried  away  to 
be  lost  in  the  unfathomable  ocean  or  in  evaporation 
on  their  downward  journey  across  the  burning  deserts. 

391 


We  reach   Fashoda 

A  few  hours  in  H.H.S.  Fatek  brought  us  to  the 
historical  post  of  Fashoda.  Here  already  progress 
was  racing  ahead,  for  capacious  brick  barracks  had 
sprung  into  existence,  the  first  step  towards  pro- 
tecting the  Egyptian  soldiers  from  the  fever  and 
mosquitoes  generated  by  the  neighbouring  swamps. 
/,  The  two  British  officers,  Majendie  and  Redl,  intended 
to  celebrate  my  arrival  by  a  sumptuous  repast. 
This  was  prevented  by  the  tukl  which  constituted 
the  kitchen  catching  fire,  and  in  two  minutes  being 
burnt  to  the  ground,  together  with  its  contents.  I 
began  to  reflect  that,  after  all,  our  haunch  of  camel 
in  a  healthy  forest  or  open  prairie  by  the  side  of 
a  babbling  brook  was,  in  some  respects,  preferable 
to  the  unexpected  shortcomings  of  civilization. 

At  Fashoda  my  caravan  had  at  length  to  undergo 
a  separation — Fashoda  marked  the  spot  where  our 
independence  and  freedom  was  at  an  end.  It  was 
arranged  for  us  to  go  by  steamer  to  Omdurman,  an 
eight  or  ten  days' journey.  Unfortunately  H.H.S. 
Fateh  was  unable  to  transport  our  entire  party 
together.  So,  whilst  I  steamed  northwards  with 
half  the  men,  the  remainder  under  Shahzad  Mir  and 
Mohamed,  with  the  baggage  animals,  were  left  at 
Fashoda  to  await  the  arrival  of  another  boat  ;  and 
there,  thanks  to  the  care  bestowed  on  them  by 
Majendie,  the  majority  of  them  recouped  and  fattened, 
both  man  and  beast.  Steaming  down  stream  for 
ten  days  was  an  agreeable  change,  though  I  regret 
to  own  that  sleep  occupied  most  of  the  time  we  were 
in  motion.  Very  often  we  would  tie  up  to  the  river 
banks  to  replenish  the  supply  of  wood.  This  gave 

393 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 


many  opportunities  of  wandering  off  with  gun  or  rifle. 
At  half  way  we  passed  the  Hills  of  Gebelain,  a 
supposed  abode  of  lions  and  a  very  noticeable 
feature  on  so  extensive  and  flat  a  stretch  of  land. 
As  we  drew  nearer  to  our  destination,  instead  of 


FASHODA  FORT. 


cutting  our  own  wood,  we  found  temporary  stations 
where  piles  of  the  fuel  were  already  awaiting  us. 

About  the  middle  of  July  we  hailed  the  vast 
accumulation  of  mud  houses  of  Omdurman.  Here, 
whilst  awaiting  the  arrival  of  men  and  animals  left 
at  Fashoda,  I  found  a  comfortable  home  and  a 
very  hearty  welcome  under  the  roof  of  the  Acting- 
Governor,  Colonel  J.  G.  Maxwell,  D.S.O.,  whose 

394 


The   British  Transformation 

house  had  formerly  been  none  other  than  the  abode 
of  Yakoob,  brother  of  the  Khalifa.  My  stay  in  this 
remarkable  place  will  always  be  one  I  shall  look 
back  upon  with  feelings  of  pleasure,  for,  though  the 
town  is  surrounded  by  an  unattractive  desert,  this 
drawback  was  fully  compensated  by  the  hospitality 
shown  me  by  the  officers  of  the  Egyptian  army, 
both  at  the  seat  of  Government,  with  the  artillery 
across  the  river,  or  lower  down  stream  at  Wad 
Hamed,  with  Colonel  Broadwood's  cavalry.  I  was 
enabled,  during  my  days  of  rest  and  idleness,  to 
comprehend,  in  some  slight  degree,  the  wonderful 
strides  that  had  already  been  made  in  opening  up, 
and  in  carrying  out  the  administration  of  the 
country.  Until  one  actually  sees  the  barrenness  of 
the  land,  and  learns  something  of  the  indolent  cha- 
racter of  the  people  who  are  to  inhabit  it,  no  fair 
judgment  can  be  formed  of  the  prodigious  efforts, 
untiring  patience,  the  determination  and  tact  that 
must  be  used  to  ensure  success.  Yet  already  the 
results  that  are  apparent  bear  testimony  to  the 
class  of  British  officers  who  are  there.  It  must  be 
known  that  there  are  no  home  comforts  in  the 
Soudan,  there  is  nothing  superfluous,  everything  is 
practical.  In  the  Soudan  there  is  no  such  word  as 
"  can't,"  and  there  a  single  officer  does  the  work 
for  which  elsewhere  two  or  three  officers  and  a  native 
staff  as  well  would  be  required.  An  officer  is  told 
to  build  a  palace  at  Khartum  !  The  railway,  at  the 
time,  is  hundreds  of  miles  distant ;  wood  too  is, 
practically  speaking,  an  unknown  quantity  at  Khar- 
tum. There  are  no  bricks,  no  stones ;  there  is  only 

395 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

sand  and  water.  There  are  no  workmen,  masons, 
carpenters,  or  any  other  mechanics.  Yet  the  palace, 
on  my  arrival,  was  nearly  completed.  How  is  it 
done  ?  Ask  the  one  who  knows,  Captain  Gorringe, 
R.E.  You  have  only  to  see  the  splendid  battalions 


THE   PALACE  AT   KHARTUM    IN   PROGRESS   OF  BUILDING. 

of  Egyptian  and  Soudanese  soldiers,  and  the  con- 
stant efficiency  they  are  kept  in,  or  the  artillery  and 
squadrons  of  cavalry,  to  know  what  can  be  made  of 
dervishes.  Not  only  are  they  taught  the  duties  of 
soldiers,  but  British  games  as  well.  To  see  these 
fine  men  playing  at  football  with  plenty  of  dash  and 
go,  over  a  hard  gravel,  and  with  bare  feet,  will 
convey  some  idea  of  the  stuff  they  are  being  turned 

396 


I   bid    Farewell  to   the  Mules 

into.  As  to  the  work  of  administration,  already 
fresh  patches  of  cultivation  are  beginning  to  orna- 
ment the  banks  of  the  mighty  Nile,  and  down- 
trodden races  are  beginning  to  know  that  at  length 
they  can  make  their  home  a  permanent  one,  and 
lead  a  life  of  peace.  As  to  their  friendly  disposition, 
I  have  already  spoken. 

As  soon  as  the  remainder  of  my  caravan  arrived 
by  boat  we  bade  farewell,  and  not  without  regret,  to 
our  baggage  animals  that  had  toiled  so  long  and 
patiently.  They  were  sold  by  auction  in  the 
market-place  of  Omdurman,  and  I  was  thankful  to 
know  that  my  ten  mules,  which  had  completed  the 
entire  journey  from  Adis  Ababa,  fell  into  the 
worthy  hands  of  officers  of  the  Egyptian  army. 
With  the  sale  of  my  animals  I  felt  our  journey  was 
at  an  end,  and  turned  my  thoughts  to  conveying 
my  Abyssinians,  Somalis,  and  Soudanese  safely 
to  their  homes  again.  The  Soudanese  had  already 
reached  their  country,  and  were  content  to  remain 
at  Khartum.  It  was  quite  touching  to  say  good- 
bye to  these  tough  and  hardy  fellows,  and  to 
hear  them  pour  forth  their  gratitude  for  what  I  had 
done  for  them.  I  have  often  wondered  what  has 
become  of  them,  for  the  chances  are  their  accumu- 
lated pay  of  many  months  was  spent  that  same 
evening  in  feasting  their  friends. 

There  was  no  need  to  remain  longer  at  Omdur- 
man ;  arrangements  for  our  journey  north  were  very 
considerately  arranged  by  Colonel  Maxwell  and  his 
successor,  Lt.-Colonel  D.F.  Lewis,  C.B.  Early  in 
August  we  had  left  the  former  seat  of  Mahdism  and 

397 


'Twixt   Sirdar  and   Menelik 

were  steaming  towards  the  heart  of  civilization.  I 
will  not  attempt  to  describe  our  travels  further  ;  I 
may  mention  that,  at  this  time,  the  trains  were  run- 
ning from  Atbara,  and  that  the  skilfully  constructed 
bridge  across  the  river  had  been  just  completed. 
There  were  two  features  that  struck  me.  Firstly, 


THE  SIRDAR'S  HOUSE,  OMDURMAN. 

as  we  were  borne  along  by  railway  across  the  endless 
sands  at  forty  miles  an  hour,  one  was  able  to  realize 
the  impossibility  of  conquering  the  land  before 
the  means  of  getting  there  had  been  prepared. 
Secondly,  on  noticing  some  dervish  forts  at  the  very 
cataracts  of  the  Nile,  where  boats  are  sometimes 
brought  to  a  standstill  by  the  force  of  the  stream, 

398 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

one  wondered  why  the  dervishes  had  not  built 
impregnable  positions,  and  disputed  the  entrance  by 
water  to  the  very  centre  of  their  power. 

As  for  the  initiation  of  my  Abyssinians  into 
the  ways  of  civilization,  they  had  been  mostly 
struck  by  the  polo  they  had  seen  played  at  Omdur- 
man  and  by  the  workshops  at  Wady  Haifa.  The 
piercing  of  holes  by  machinery,  and  the  shaving  of 
metals,  filled  them  with  astonishment,  whilst  the  slabs 
of  artificially-made  ice  sent  them  into  ecstasies,  for  it 
brought  them  nearer  to  the  frosts  of  their  own  land. 
The  boats  and  trains  were  of  course  new  to  them, 
though,  by  the  time  we  had  reached  Cairo,  the 
novelty  was  somewhat  past.  Three  days  at  Cairo 
gave  them  some  notion  that  other  towns  existed 
besides  those  composed  of  tukls.  Though  utterly 
bewildered  at  first,  they  soon  came  to  look  upon  a 
horse  and  cart,  an  electric  tram  and  a  bicycle  (which 
they  called  "  baklo,"  a  mule)  as  nothing  out  of  the 
common.  The  things  that  did  continue  to  puzzle 
them  were  the  electric  lighting  and  water-taps  at  the 
Savoy  Hotel. 

It  was  certainly  gratifying  to  meet  at  Cairo  the 
Sirdar  himself,  and  to  be  able  to  furnish  him  with 
the  maps  thatShahzad  Mir  had  spent  so  much  pains 
over — maps,  too,  that  covered  hundreds  of  miles  of 
unknown  land.  How  pleased,  too,  were  my  Abys- 
sinians and  Somalis,  and  how  much  we  all  appreci- 
ated the  Sirdar's  gifts  ;  for,  driving  up  one  day,  he 
not  only  spoke  a  few  kind  words  to  these  worthy 
men,  but  presented  to  each  a  rug,  a  suit  of  clothes, 
and  cotton  and  cloth  for  making  more.  In  addition 

400 


2D 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

to  this  they  were  well  housed  and  fed,  and  a  letter 
was  written  to  the  Abyssinian  king  to  inform  him 
of  the  safe  arrival  of  his  countrymen.  At  any  rate, 
they  carried  back  to  their  land  a  long-lasting  memento 
of  their  visit  to  Egypt.  From  Cairo  we  trained  to 
Suez — our  parting-place,  for  from  here  they  were  all 
to  be  conveyed  by  a  British-India  liner  to  Aden. 
There  their  various  wants  would  be  ably  looked 
after  by  General  Creagh,  V.C.  Shahzad  Mir  would 
be  sent  back  to  Aden,  my  Somalis  to  Berbera, 
and  my  Abyssinians  to  Zeila  and  Harrar.  I  will 
not  dwell  on  the  parting  with  these  faithful  fellows. 
The  fact  of  their  having  left  their  homes  in  total 
ignorance  of  everything  ahead,  and  of  their  having 
served  me  well  in  times  of  need,  and  brought  me 
safely  through  hundreds  of  miles  of  land  untrodden 
excepting  by  the  foot  of  naked  savages  and  wild 
beasts,  is  proof  positive  that  there  are  Somalis 
and  Abyssinians  made  of  the  right  stuff.  It  was 
truly  gratifying  to  hear  some  of  them  say,  on  bidding 
farewell,  "Geyta"  (master),  "our  bellies  are  full,  we 
will  go  with  you  again." 

I  was  now  alone  with  my  two  little  dogs,  Lady 
and  her  pup.  Though  I  had  no  chance  of  getting 
them  home  to  England,  I  was  glad  to  know  they 
would  find  a  good  and  happy  home  in  the  hands  of 
Lady  Rennell  Rodd.  As  soon  as  I  had  bidden 
them  farewell,  and  jumped  on  board  the  vessel  at 
the  port  of  Alexandria,  which  was  to  bring  me  home 
just  a  year  after  sailing  from  Bombay,  I  felt  really 
alone,  for  the  last  tie  of  our  happy  journey  had  been 
severed. 

402 


My  Own  View  of  the   Problem 

As  I  reflected  on  the  country  we  had  traversed, 
I  could  not  help  remarking  to  myself  that,  had  I  the 
distribution  and  administration  of  this  newly  con- 
quered land,  I  should  feel  inclined  to  hurry  through 
the  many  miles  of  burning  sand  and  leave  them,  so 
to  speak,  untouched,  and  seek  the  more  profitable 
and  fertile  regions  further  south. 


4°3 


EPILOGUE 

BEFORE  starting  for  South  Africa,  the  late  Captain 
Wellby  asked  me  to  look  through  the  proofs  of  his 
book.  He  was  anxious  to  say  no  word  that  might 
offend,  to  prejudice  no  cause.  This  duty  I  have 
carried  out,  making  scarcely  any  corrections,  and 
leaving  the  narrative  as  he  wrote  it  in  his  own  style  ; 
and  there  would  have  been  no  occasion  for  me  to 
mention  this  or  add  a  word,  were  it  not  that  the 
perusal  of  these  pages  has  suggested  to  me  that  it 
might  not  be  inappropriate  to  complete  the  narrative 
by  telling  the  sad  story  of  the  end  of  that  most 
lovable  little  dog  whose  adventures  figure  here  so 
largely.  The  fox-terrier,  Lady,  was  left  in  my 
charge,  as  the  return  to  England  of  even  so  re- 
markable a  traveller  was  rendered  difficult  if  not 
impossible  by  the  regulations  in  force.  After  the 
first  day  or  two  of  separation  from  her  old  master, 
and  consequent  uneasiness,  were  passed,  she  attached 
herself  to  me  with  extraordinary  devotion.  I  will 
not  enlarge  upon  the  qualities  which  had  endeared 
her  even  to  the  Somalis,  who  regard  the  species  as 
unclean,  but  need  only  say  to  all  who  have  ever 
loved  a  dog  that  she  was  all  that  the  most  affection- 
ate of  the  friends  of  man  can  be. 

404 


Epilogue 

About  a  year  ago,  when  starting  for  the  Soudan 
I  had  intended  to  leave  her  behind  in  Cairo,  but 
the  mute  appeal  of  her  brown  eyes  as  she  sat  upon 
my  luggage,  and  her  anxiety  each  time  I  left  the 
house,  were  too  strong  to  resist,  and  I  felt  she  must 
go  with  me.  She  had  spent  so  many  months  in 
the  tropics  that  a  short  visit  could  do  her  no 
harm  ;  and  so  we  started  together  on  our  journey. 
Between  the  Atbara  and  Khartoum,  while  the  train 
was  crossing  the  desert  in  the  night,  and  had 
stopped  at  a  solitary  station  to  water,  she  got  out, 
unperceived,  by  an  open  door,  and  her  absence  was 
only  discovered  when  the  train  was  already  well  on 
its  way.  These  desert  stations  consist  only  of  a 
hut  or  tent,  with  a  telegraph  receiver  and  a  water- 
tank  in  charge  of  two  Egyptian  soldiers.  There 
was  no  means  of  stopping  the  train  until  we  arrived 
at  Shendy,  some  sixteen  miles  away.  From  there 
I  telegraphed  back  and  received  an  answer  that  the 
dog  would  be  sent  on  by  the  next  train.  There 
are  but  few  trains  on  the  desert  line,  and  one  cannot 
return  at  any  moment  of  the  forty  hours'  journey. 
Confident  that  all  was  well,  I  went  on  to  Khartoum. 
But  Lady  never  came.  There  had  been  some 
misunderstanding  about  the  first  message  received, 
and  she  was  not  at  the  station.  The  telegraph 
then  gave  the  alarm  all  along  the  line,  the  Omdehs 
and  sheikhs  of  the  villages  were  warned,  rewards 
were  offered,  and  I  returned  to  Hamadeb.  It 
came  out  that  she  had  returned  to  the  station  once 
or  twice,  and  the  soldiers  in  charge,  meaning  well, 
had  tried  to  catch  her,  but  she  always  ran  away 

405 


'Twixt  Sirdar  and   Menelik 

from  them  into  the  bush.  The  Nile  runs  a  mile  or 
so  away,  and  along  its  banks  are  the  ruined  villages 
of  the  Jdalin  ;  through  these  I  sought  for  her  long 
and  sick  at  heart.  The  days  were  burning  hot,  the 
nights  were  bitter  cold  ;  the  gaunt  and  savage  pariah 
dogs  prowled  round  the  villages  ;  and  in  the  bush,  at 
the  desert's  edge,  were  jackals  and  hyenas.  Imagi- 
nation pictured  in  many  forms  the  bitter  end  of  my 
little  companion  in  that  grim  country.  The  loving 
creature  was  so  sensitive  to  a  rough  word,  so 
wholly  dependent  on  affection  and  confident  in  her 
master,  that  it  became  unbearable  to  think  of  her 
dumb  agony  when  she  felt  herself  abandoned  in 
the  night.  Even  now,  as  I  write  of  it,  the  sorrow  of 
that  fruitless  search  returns.  But  so  it  was  fated  to 
be.  I  returned  alone,  and  of  all  the  many  friends 
that  relentless  Africa  has  taken,  there  have  been 
few  I  more  grudged  to  death  than  I  did  that 
devoted  little  dog,  which  had  passed  through  so 
many  adventures  to  die  at  last  in  the  desert. 

He  too,  her  master,  the  gallant  soldier,  the 
fearless  traveller,  now  sleeps  in  an  honoured  grave 
at  the  far  end  of  the  dark  continent.  Fain  would 
one  think  that  in  some  Elysian  field,  where  tired 
travellers  rest,  the  lost  are  found  again,  and  that 
there,  not  wholly  unmindful  of  the  other  voice  she 
followed,  she  has  heard  the  voice  of  her  old  master 
calling,  and  so  once  more  the  brown  eyes  watch 
him  lovingly  and  the  little  white  head  lies  in  his 
hand  at  peace. 

R.  R. 

CAIRO,  Jan.  31,  1901. 

406 


A    LIMITED    VOCABULARY    OF 
DIFFERENT    TRIBES 


WALAMO  WORDS. 


Road  .... 
Water  .... 
Hill  .... 
Horse  .... 

Lion  .... 
Elephant  .  .  . 
Road  .... 
Village  .  .  . 
Bread  .... 
Water  .... 
Nullah.  .  .  . 
Hill  .... 

Nullah.  .  .  . 
Close  .... 
Far  .... 

Ogy. 
Hata. 
Gara. 
Fardah. 

GALL 

Lencha. 
Arba. 
Karra. 
Makant. 
Budina. 
Bisham. 
Lugga. 
Gara. 

HAMMER 

Banty. 
Kunjisni. 
Pegni. 
Yiman. 
Farda. 

Tree     .     .     .     . 
Go  

Kabba. 
Hameta. 
Hagy. 
Beta. 

Gari. 
Gangi. 
Mokah. 
?  Karra  Kam. 
Karra  Kam- 
ta  Ko. 
Biya  Kanna. 
?  Aisasafer. 

Wakindi. 

Noko. 
Ogo  noko  lai. 
Okulli. 
Angi. 

Sky  . 

**™»  . 
Ground      .     .     . 

A  WORDS. 

Good   .... 
Bad.     .     .     . 

Tree     .... 
Where  is  the  road 
Where  does  the 
road  go  ? 
What  name  is  it  ? 
Where  is  the  camp 

KOKI  WORDS. 

Is       .... 
Water      .     .     . 
There  is  no  water 
Mule  or  donkey 
Man  .... 

Go  .... 

Horse  .... 

407 


Vocabulary 


Woman  ....  Mar.  To-day    .  .  .  Kena  enni. 

How Taki  kakL  Bring      .  .  .  Ba-an. 

Take      ....  Yetki  kut.  Elephant  .  .  Donger. 

Leopard     .     .     .  Zobu.  Camel     .  .  .  Gamli. 

Cow  .  Waki. 


HAMMER  KOKI  WORDS  (another  district). 


Road  . 
Hill  .  . 

.    .     .     Gor. 
.     .     Aselli. 

Water  . 
Is  .  . 

.     .     Bechi. 
Ajirta. 

Tree  .  . 
Cow  . 

.     .     .     Kor. 
Leyhall. 

Stone  . 
Fat  . 

.     .     Tij. 
Ennu 

Flour 

Asuk. 

GALLOPPA  WORDS. 


Donkey . 
Sheep  . 
Hill  .  . 
Water 


Wai. 
Wuk. 
War. 
Buff. 


Tree  .  .     Gorru. 


Grass 

Road 

Flour 

Nullah 

Camel 


Eti. 

Geri. 

Chillo. 

Gulbo. 

Gelti. 


LOKUB  WORDS. 


Donkey  .  . 
Sheep  .  . 
Hill  .  .  . 

.     .     Sigrya. 
.     .     Engri. 
Swe£ 

Nullah  .  .  . 
Paper  .  .  . 
Cloth 

Nirum. 
Ninga. 
Duffer. 

Water  .  . 
Tree  .  .  . 

.     .     Buffo. 

Dabas. 

Xight  .  .  . 
Brine 

Guarieh. 
Evu. 

Grass  .  . 
Tongue  .  . 
Head  .  . 
Come  .  . 
Road  .  . 
Flour  .  . 
Camel  .  . 

.     .     Gujeta. 
.     .     Lejab. 
-    -     Ugi. 
.     .     Wawo. 
.     .     Guedi. 
.     .     Ruba. 
.     .     Lori  or 
Galori. 

i"*& 
Stone     .     .    . 
Village  .     .     . 
Meat          .     . 
Gun.     .     .     . 
Bow.     .     .     . 
Camp    .     .     . 
Day.     .     .    . 
Take  away 

3     ' 

Ding. 
Geji. 
Trekan. 
Gidong. 
Gow. 
Duni. 
Leppa. 
Mabeyo. 

408 


Water  . 
Donkey 
Camel 


Vocabulary 


TURKANA  WORDS. 


Gibi. 

Sigrya. 
Galla  or  lo. 


There  is  no  water    Gibi  man. 
Dig  for  water     .     Gibi  Adama. 


Road  . 
River  . 


ABBA  WORDS. 

Mar.  Water . 

Rue     or  Come . 

Ruzi.  Boat   . 


Gibya. 
Enuro. 
Arauro. 


FINIS 


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Demy  8vo,  cloth,  i6s.     With  Portrait. 

The  contents  of  the  volume  include  conversations,  letters,  nnd  personalia  of 
monarclis,  soldiers,  savants,  statesmen,  and  men  of  letters  during  the  last  half 
of  the  nineteenth  century.  The  attempt  is  made  for  the  first  time  to  describe  the 
part  the  late  Emperor  took  in  the  political  shaping  of  affairs  and  the  building 
of  Modern  Germany,  throwing  entirely  new  light  on  several  important  historical 
events. 

A  book  whicli  should  prove  of  engrossing  interest  and  invaluable  to  serious 
students  of  modern  history. 

The  St.  James's  Gazette  says: — "A  welcome  account  of  one  of  the  noblest 
monarchs  who  ever  occupied  a  throne." 

Reminiscences  of  the  King  of  Roumania. 

Diary,  Notes  and  Letters.     Edited  from  the   original  with 

an  Introduction  by  SIDNEY  WHITMAN. 

With  Frontispiece  Portrait.     Demy  8vo,  cloth  extra.     los.  6d. 

These_  authentic  Reminiscences  of  the  present  King  of  Roumania  constitute  a 
historical  document  of  exceptional  personal  as  well  as  poliiical  interest.  They 
contain  among  other  material  a  number  of  letters  fiom  the  leading  political 
personages  of  the  last  thirty  years,  such  as  Prince  Hisman  k,  the  Emperor  William 
.the  First,  the  Emperor  Frederick,  Queen  Victoria,  the  Emperor  Napoleon,  the 
Czars  Alexander  II.,  and  Alexander. 

"The  'authorized  version'  of  an  extremely  interesting  work,  in  which  King 
Charles  of  Roumania  has  recorded  his  reminiscences  of  men  and  events.  The 
book  is  full  of  interest  from  the  moment  when  it  records  the  dramatic  move  which 
made  the  Hohenzollern  prince  King  of  Koumnnia.  Mr.  Whitman  contributing 
an  admirable  introduction." — Observer. 

Conversations  with  Prince  Bismarck. 

Collected  by  HEINRICH  VON  POSCHINGER. 

Edited  by  SIDNEY  WHITMAN. 

Crown  8vo,  cloth  extra,  with  Portrait.     6s. 

This  is  a  selection  from  five  works  compiled  by  Herr  von  Poschinger,  who 
since  the  death  of  Heinrich  von  Sybel  has  been  the  only  person  to  have  access  to 
the  Prussian  official  records.  A  fine  portrait  of  Bismarck,  taken  in  1891,  serves  as 
frontispiece. 

LORD  ROSEBERY  writes  : — "  The  whole  volume  is  valuable  and  interesting." 

8t/t  Impress*  n. 

The  Martyrdom  of  an  Empress. 

With  Portrait.     Demy  8vo,  cloth  extra.     7-r.  6d. 

"  Few  books  take  one  as  much  behind  the  scenes  of  the  life  of  the  great  as  this 
memoir  of  the  murdered  Empress-Queen,  whose  beautiful  nature  is  brought  very 
strongly  home  to  us  by  the  intimate  narrative  of  this  most  absorbing  book." — Pall 
Mall  Gazette. 

"  Undoubtedly  the  one  work  that  must  be  consulted  by  all  who  would  study  at 
close  quarters  one  of  the  strongest  personalities  and  one  of  the  saddest  careers  in 
the  whole  history  of  European  Royalty." —  World. 

HARPER  &   BROTHERS,  45,  ALBEMARLE  ST.,  LONDON,  W. 


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